Cessna 182K accident near Neligh, Nebraska, May 5, 1988
On May 5, 1988, a Cessna 182K, registered N2872R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Neligh, Nebraska (Antelope County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
NONE SUBMITTED
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1988 · cases in 1988
- Place
- Neligh, Nebraska · Antelope County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2872R · no longer on the register · serial 18258472
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER MAKING A NORMAL TAKEOFF AND CLIMB, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND FLEW TOWARDS THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AT WHAT WITNESSES DESCRIBED AS LOW AND SLOW. SHORTLY AFTERWARD, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED DOWN AND DESCENDED, UNCONTROLLED, TO THE TERRAIN. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FUEL SUPPLY SHORTAGE. THE ACFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE LOW TIME, NEWLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, AND PASSENGER SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES.
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: 85 hours in all; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 962 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 1987; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4V9 Neligh NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from ONL, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2872R: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Antelope County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nebraska 763 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Nebraska 2,947 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC88FA085.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.