Cessna 172G accident near Sarcoxie, Missouri, July 13, 1988
On July 13, 1988 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N4288L, was destroyed in an accident near Sarcoxie, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- July 13, 1988 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sarcoxie, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4288L · no longer on the register · serial 17254357
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES AT THE ACDNT SITE CHARACTERIZED THE WX AS HAVING A LOW CEILING WITH FOG. THEY RPRTD THEY SAW THE ACFT 'APPEAR OUT OF CLOUDS' IN A STEEP DESCENT. THE ACFT THEN BEGAN TO 'PULL UP;' HOWEVER, DURING RECOVERY FROM THE DIVE, THE ACFT STRUCK TREES & CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE PLT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. BEFORE HE TOOK OFF, THE WX AT SPRINGFIELD HAD DETERIORATED FROM SCATTERED CONDITIONS WITH 5 MI VIS TO 2800' BROKEN CEILING WITH 1 MI VIS & FOG.
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: 524 hours in all; 375 in this make and model; 524 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3DW Springfield MO at 1:16 pm
- Destination: TUL Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:25 pm from SGF, 70 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4288L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.