Cessna 152 accident near Willimantic, Connecticut, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5088Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willimantic, Connecticut (Windham airport). 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Willimantic, Connecticut · Windham · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5088Q · registry record · serial 15285070
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT MADE AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 TOO FAST AND LONG. AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD, THE PLT LOST CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED A FEW TIMES BEFORE NOSING OVER.
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: 112 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 74 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,944 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 1986; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAF Westfield MA at 4:45 pm
- Destination: Block Island RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N5088Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5088Q on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Westfield-Barnes Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Connecticut 522 since 1982 · 68 in the last ten years
- Connecticut 1,612 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5088Q 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC86LA223.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.