Cessna 188-B accident near Sigourney, Iowa, June 3, 1987
On June 3, 1987 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188-B, registered N21711, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sigourney, Iowa. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1987 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sigourney, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188-B · all 188-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N21711 · registry record · serial 1880984T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN UNLOADED RE-POSITIONING FLT TO BEGIN AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION, THE PIC EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. A FORCED LDG WAS ATTEMPTED AND ACFT HIT A DITCH AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF ENGINE POWER(TOTAL) - MECH FAILURE/MALF during cruise
- FORCED LANDING during cruise
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during landing
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 2,665 hours in all; 940 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,610 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, April 1, 1987; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IA83 Livermore IA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: C84 Sigourney IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 20 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°C, dew point 0°C
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC87LA116.