Cessna 152 accident near Underwood, Iowa, July 25, 1988
On July 25, 1988 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N69240, was substantially damaged in an accident near Underwood, Iowa. 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
- July 25, 1988 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Underwood, Iowa · 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
- N69240 · no longer on the register · serial 15282580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI AND STUDENT WERE PERFORMING MANEUVERS NEAR UNDERWOOD, IA AS PART OF 14 CFR 61 STU PILOT TRNG. THE ACFT WAS FLOWN FOR ABT 1/2 HR, PRIOR TO THE CFI TAKING CONTROL OF THE ACFT WHEN THE STU EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENG PWR DURING RECOVERY FM A MANEUVER. THE CFI STATED HE ATTMPTD A RESTART OF THE ENG WITH A WINDMILLING PROPELLER. THE CFI THEN MADE AN EMERG LNDG INTO A MATURE SOYBEAN FIELD. DURING THE LNDG ROLL, THE ACFT NOSEGEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT FLIPPED INVERTED. AFTER REMOVAL OF THE ACFT FM THE FIELD, ENG WAS FURTHER INSPECTED AND RUN. ENG CONTROLS WERE CHKD AND FOUND TO OPERATE IN A NRML MANNER. FUEL QUANTITY AND QUALITY WERE CHKD AND FOUND TO BE OK. NO DESCREPANCIES WERE FOUND WITH THE ACFT ENG OR FUEL SYSTEM.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 680 hours in all; 275 in this make and model; 370 in the last 90 days; 191 in the last 30 days; 635 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,926 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 9, 1988; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMA Omaha NE at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:50 pm from OMA, 9 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.