Cessna 152 accident near St. Charles, Missouri, May 28, 1988
On May 28, 1988 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89443, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Charles, Missouri (St. Charles airport). 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
- May 28, 1988 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- St. Charles, Missouri · St. Charles · 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
- N89443 · no longer on the register · serial 15282752
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING A LANDING APCH AT THE END OF A STUDENT SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, A FULL FLAP GO AROUND WAS ATTEMPTED. WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT WAS HIGHER THAN NORMAL, AND AFTER PASSING OVER MORE THAN ONE HALF OF THE USABLE RUNWAY, THE PILOT INITIATED A GO AROUND. THE PLT SAID HE WAS IN A FULL FLAP CONFIGURATION AND WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE THE ACFT SUFFICIENTLY TO RETRACT FLAPS. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND NOSED INTO AN ADJACENT FIELD.
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: 30 hours in all; 29 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,221 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 20, 1988; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COU Columbia MO at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from STL, 15 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.