Cessna 172P accident near Post Mills, Vermont, August 3, 1988
On August 3, 1988 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N62541, was destroyed in an accident near Post Mills, Vermont (Post Mills airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 3, 1988 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Post Mills, Vermont · Post Mills
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N62541 · no longer on the register · serial 17275299
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT FLEW THE ACFT TO AN ARPT WITH TWO TURF RWYS. RWY 5/23 WAS 2300' LONG & RWY 4/22 WAS 2600' LONG. AFTER ATTENDING A MEETING WHICH ENDED AT 1600 EDT, THE PLT ELECTED TO WAIT UNTIL LATER IN THE DAY TO TAKEOFF AFTER THE AIR HAD COOLED. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE BEGAN HIS DEPARTURE FROM RWY 5; HOWEVER, THE TEMP WAS STILL ABOUT 90 DEG, THE DENSITY ALT WAS APRX 2250' & THERE WAS A LIGHT WIND FROM THE SOUTH. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE ACFT WAS IN A NOSE HI ATTITUDE, WHEN IT ENTERED A TURN TO THE RIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH A TREE & CRASHED, APRX 200' EAST OF THE ARPT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. A WEIGHT & BALANCE COMPUTATION SHOWED THE ACFT WAS LOADED APRX 36 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT. AT 1853 EDT, THE WIND AT LEBANON, NH (APRX 15 MI SOUTH) WAS FROM 200 DEG AT 5 KTS. TAKEOFF COMPUTATIONS (ALLOWING FOR A TURF RWY & A 5 KT TAIL WIND) SHOWED 1492' OF RWY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO TAKEOFF & 2725' WOULD BE NEEDED TO CLEAR A 50' OBSTACLE.
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: 182 hours in all; 108 in this make and model; 102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,215 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1988; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2B9 at 11:10 pm
- Destination: Worcester MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,300 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from LEB, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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 N62541 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.