Piper PA-28-160 accident near Crete, Nebraska, December 8, 1988
On December 8, 1988 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5875W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crete, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- December 8, 1988 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crete, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5875W · no longer on the register · serial PA28-2544
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PVT PILOT SAID SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE COUGHED, SPUTTERED, THEN QUIT. AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS ATTEMPTED ON A FARM FIELD WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT, SERIOUS INJURY TO THE PAX AND MINOR INJURIES TO THE PILOT. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAGNETO DRIVE GEARS. A MANUFACTURER'S SERVICE BULLETIN THAT SPECIFIED REPLACEMENT OF THE NYLON DRIVE GEAR WITH A SINTERED IRON GEAR AT 2000 HOURS, OR THE FIRST OVERHAUL, HAD NOT BEEN COMPILED WITH. ENGINE RUNUP TESTS AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RUN ON THE RIGHT MAGNETO OR WHEN BOTH MAGNETOES WERE SELECTED.
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: 347 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 307 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,090 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 1988; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 12K Superior NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LNK, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.