Cessna 172 accident near Blue Springs, Missouri, October 22, 1988
On October 22, 1988 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N50932, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blue Springs, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- October 22, 1988 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Springs, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N50932 · no longer on the register · serial 17274236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID, WHILE CRUISING OVER A WATER RESERVOIR AT ABOUT 500 FEET AGL, HE COLLIDED WITH TWO WATERFOWL, BELIEVED TO BE GEESE. ONE STRUCK THE WING TIP, THE OTHER NEAR THE WING ROOT. ACFT CONTROL REMAINED CONSTANT WITH NO CONTROL PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED, AND THE PLT WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND LAND WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 456 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,986 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 1988; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hamilton Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 3GV Grain Valley MO at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 3GV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.