Cessna 172E accident near Harrison, Arkansas, October 1, 1988
On October 1, 1988 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N3943S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrison, Arkansas. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- October 1, 1988 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Harrison, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3943S · no longer on the register · serial 17251143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN NORMAL CRUISE FLT, THE PLT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. HE STATED THE ENG HAD FAILED & THAT HE THOUGHT IT HAD 'THROWN A ROD.' SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED DRG AN EMERG LANDING IN A WOODED AREA. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE #6 CONNECTING ROD ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED FROM LACK OF LUBRICATION. THE OIL FILLER CAP WAS NOT IN PLACE; ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE CHAIN. THE PLT HAD STOPPED IN JONESBORO, ARKANSAS, WHERE THE ACFT WAS SVCD WITH FUEL & ONE QUART OF OIL. THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER THE ACFT WAS SVCD WITH OIL, HE OBSERVED THE LINE ATTENDANT REPLACE THE OIL CAP. HIS MED CERT WAS DATED 4/3/86.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,091 hours in all; 29 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 4,959 as pilot in command; 111 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JBR Jonesboro AR at 3:30 am
- Destination: FSM Fort Smith AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from HRO, 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.