Cessna 152 accident near Dexter, Missouri, April 29, 1988
On April 29, 1988 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25038, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dexter, Missouri. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- April 29, 1988 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Dexter, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25038 · no longer on the register · serial 15280511
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY TRAINING FLT, THE CFI SAID HE BEGAN TO LOSE ENGINE RPM. HE MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE APT, WHEN HE HAD A COMPLETE POWER FAILURE. AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS MADE ON A FRESHLY PLOWED FIELD, AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. POST FLIGHT EXAMINATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL NOR FUEL SUPPLY FAILURES. CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING ACCORDING TO THE ICING PROBABILITY CHARTS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AT THE TIME NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO PREVENT THE POWER FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 787 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 306 in the last 90 days; 570 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,203 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 12, 1988; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Nick'S Aircraft Sales, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MAW Malden MO at 8:45 pm
- Destination: PAH Paducah KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from CGI, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.