Piper PA-17 accident near Omaha, Nebraska, November 28, 1988
On November 28, 1988 at about 2:42 pm local time, a Piper PA-17, registered N4691H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Omaha, Nebraska (North Omaha airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- November 28, 1988 · about 2:42 pm local time
- Place
- Omaha, Nebraska · North Omaha · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-17 · all PA-17s on the register
- Registration
- N4691H · no longer on the register · serial 17 - 89
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE TAKEOFF AND CLIMB STEEPLY TO ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE THEN TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO PROBLEMS WITH EITHER ENGINE OR AIRFRAME.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 111 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 355 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1988; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bonacci Flying Service, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,480 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from OMA, 8 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.