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Accidents · NTSB MKC88LA132 · Final report

Grumman G-164A accident near Knobel, Arkansas, July 19, 1988

On July 19, 1988 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Grumman G-164A, registered N6553, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knobel, Arkansas (Private Airstrip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT NOT ATTAINED, AND AIRCRAFT CONTROL NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
July 19, 1988 · about 8:25 pm local time · cases in 1988
Place
Knobel, Arkansas · Private Airstrip · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person had minor injuries.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Grumman G-164A · all G-164As on the register
Registration
N6553 · registry record · serial 696
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PILOT WAS ON A FLIGHT TO GET CHECKED OUT IN THE AIRCRAFT AS PART OF A PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENT. WITNESSES SAID THE FLIGHT APPEARED NORMAL UNTIL IT WAS ON A SHORT FINAL APPROACH TO LAND, THEN THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN SHORT OF THE PRIVATE STRIP AND NOSED OVER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR 91 AND WAS NOT CARRYING CHEMICALS.

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: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1988
  • Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: NONE at 8:15 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
  • Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 8:49 pm from JBR, 25 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

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The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC88LA132.json.

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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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.