Piper PA-24-250 accident near Jacksonville, Arkansas, December 10, 1988
On December 10, 1988 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N8356P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Arkansas. It was a personal 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
- December 10, 1988 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N8356P · registry record · serial 24-3612
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LOCAL FAMILARIZATION AND ACCEPTANCE FLIGHT FOR THE NEW ACFT OWNER, SMOKE ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND OIL PRESSURE WAS LOST. A PRECAUTIONARY EMERGENCY LDG WAS ATTEMPTED ON A SOFT, MUDDY, PLOWED FARM FIELD, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN OIL COOLER INLET LINE HAD RUPTURED AND HAD DRIPPED OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, CAUSING SMOKE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. THE LINE WAS WRAPPED WITH ASBESTOS AND HAD BECOME VERY BRITTLE. THE OIL LINE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD A TOTAL TIME OF 2872 HOURS. THE ACFT HAD JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION AND HAD FLOWN LESS THEN ONE HOUR SINCE THE INSPECTION.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,003 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,863 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,872 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1988; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1M1 N. Little Rock AR at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:49 pm from LIT, 10 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.