Cessna 175 accident near Starke, Florida, December 24, 1988
On December 24, 1988 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N9373B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Starke, Florida. It was a personal flight 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
- December 24, 1988 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Starke, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N9373B · no longer on the register · serial 55173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLT WAS 3 MILES EAST OF ARPT RETURNING TO LAND AT ALT OF APRX 2,000 FT, WHEN THE ENG QUIT. PLT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART & ELECTED TO LAND IN SMALL TREES AS A NEARBY HIGHWAY WAS CONGESTED. ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES & FELL TO THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG REVEALED THE CRANKSHAFT FAILED AT THE REAR CRANKSHAFT CHEEK BETWEEN #1 & #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING RODS. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED CRANKSHAFT REVEALED LOW & HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY VIBRATIONS OF THE CRANKSHAFT DURING CONTACT OF THE THREE DYNAMIC COUNTERWEIGHTS TO THE ADJACENT CAMSHAFT LOBES. COUNTERWEIGHT CONTACT WAS CAUSED BY WORN COUNTERWEIGHT BUSHING. REVIEW OF THE ENG LOGBOOKS REVEALED A MAJOR OVERHAUL WAS PERFORMED IN 1969, APRX 793 HRS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THREE TOP OVERHAULS WERE PERFORMED. THE FIRST & SECOND PERFORMED AT ONE YEAR INTERVALS AFTER THE MAJOR. THE THIRD WAS PERFORMED 10 YEARS AFTER THE SECOND.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 127 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,901 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1988; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42J Keystone Height FL at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from GNV, 17 miles away
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.
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.