Cessna 172N accident near Oxford, Iowa, February 28, 1988
On February 28, 1988 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5816E, was destroyed in an accident near Oxford, Iowa (Green Castle airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- February 28, 1988 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Iowa · Green Castle · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5816E · no longer on the register · serial 17271943
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE IN TROUBLE IMMEDIATLEY AFTER TAKEOFF, AS THE WINGS WERE RAPIDLY ROCKING WHILE IT WAS STRUGGLING TO STAY AIRBORNE. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED SHARPLY LEFT, WHERE IT THEN BARELY CLEARED A ROW OF TREES. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED, WITH ITS WINGS STILL ROCKING, WHEN IT SUDDENLY PITCHED UP AS IT APCHD SOME POWER LINES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED CLEARING THE POWER LINES, HANGING IN MID-AIR, THEN PLUMMETING NOSE FIRST TO THE GROUND. THERE WAS NO IN-FLIGHT NOR POST-CRASH FIRE. ON-SCENE DOCUMENTATION INDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD USED 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS FOR TAKEOFF. A COMPLETE ENGINE TEARDOWN INSPECTION REVEALED NO PREEXISTING DISCREPANCIES.
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: 83 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 58 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,209 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 1987; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IA24 at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 55C Dodgeville WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,600 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:09 pm from CID, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.