Waco UPF-7 accident near Key West, Florida, July 6, 1988
On July 6, 1988 at about 1:42 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N32133, was substantially damaged in an accident near Key West, Florida (Key West International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1988 · about 1:42 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Key West International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N32133 · registry record · serial 5765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A SIGHTSEEING FLT, DURING THE LANDING ROLL WITH A DIRECT CROSSWIND FROM THE RT AT 9 KTS, THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT TURNED INTO THE WIND. HE WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THIS WITH LEFT RUDDER & BRAKING BEFORE THE ACFT TRAVELLED INTO A DITCH. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE BRAKE FAILED. EXAMINATION & OPERATION OF THE BRAKE AFTER IT HAD BEEN PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED BY THE OPERATOR REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO EXAMINED THE ACFT, BELIEVED AIR IN THE SYSTEM CAUSED THE FAILURE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,113 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 1988; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W-670N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:44 pm from EYW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N32133 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.