Cessna 320 accident near Atwood, Kansas, July 7, 1988
On July 7, 1988 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 320, registered N320DB, was destroyed in an accident near Atwood, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 7, 1988 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Atwood, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320 · all 320s on the register
- Registration
- N320DB · registry record · serial 320B0034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC HAD DEPTD THE DENVER METRO AREA CARRYING PAX TO VACATION IN INDIANA. NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED AND THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A PREFLT WX BRIEF. THE FLT PROGRSD WITHOUT ANY KNOWN DIFFICULTY UNTIL REACHING THE COLORODO/KANSAS BORDER. THE PIC RQSTD AND RCVD WX OBS FOR LOCATIONS AHEAD OF HIM, HAVING OBSVD A LGE AREA OF CLOUD BUILDUP. THE PIC WAS ADVISED OF LEVEL 2 RAIN SHOWERS WITH INBEDDED TSTM ACTIVITY ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. NTAP DISPLAYED NO APPRECIABLE ALTERATION OF GND TRACK SUBSEQUENT TO THE WX BRIEF. HOWEVER THE (NTAP) DATA INDICATED LRGE CHANGES IN ALTITUDES, PSBLY INDICATING SEVERE TURBULENCE. THE LAST DATA INDICATED A 12,000 FT PER MIN DESCENT. THE ACFT IMPACTED INVERTED IN A FURROWED FIELD. EVIDENCE INDICATED LGTNG STRIKES TO THE COCKPIT AND WING AND A CABIN FIRE. RADAR DATA INDICATED THE ACFT PENETRATED AN AREA OF LVL FOUR TSTMS. PORTIONS OF THE ACFT WERE FOUND STREWN OVER A ONE MILE AREA.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BIC Broomfield CO at 4:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from GLD, 50 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.