Cessna 152 accident near Preston, Missouri, March 25, 1988
On March 25, 1988 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4712D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Preston, Missouri. It was an instructional 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).
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
- March 25, 1988 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Preston, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4712D · registry record · serial 15283592
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON THE SECOND LEG OF A X-COUNTRY TRNG FLT WHEN THE ENG QUIT. EXAM OF THE ACFT FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT NO FUEL WAS PRESENT. THE PILOT DEPARTED THE ORIGINAL DEPARTURE ARPT WITHOUT A FULL LOAD OF FUEL, AND HAD PLANNED TO ACQUIRE FUEL AT THE SECOND OF TWO PLANNED STOPS. THE PILOT STATED HE VISUALLY CHKD FUEL BEFORE COMMENCING THE FLT, BUT THAT HE DID NOT CONFIRM IF THE FUEL QUANTITY PRESENT IN THE TANKS WAS SUFFICIENT FOR THE PROPOSED TRNG FLT. THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A FLD 40 MILES SHORT OF HIS PROPOSED FUELING STOP.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,474 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 27, 1987; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tri-Air
The flight
- Departed from: COU Columbia MO at 6:20 pm
- Destination: SGF Springfield MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from SGF, 40 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.
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.