Cessna S550 incident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1988
On May 16, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna S550, registered N81SH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 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 incident. 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
- May 16, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Allentown, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna S550 · all S550s on the register
- Registration
- N81SH · registry record · serial S550-0146
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT FL350 IN LIGHT TURBULENCE, THE TRAILING HALF OF THE LEFT HAND OUTBOARD TRAILING EDGE FLAP SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE PILOT DECLARED AND EMERGENCY AND LANDED AT POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE PORTION OF THE DAMAGED FLAP WHICH REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE ACFT WAS REMOVED AND INSPECTED AT THE NTSB MATERIALS LABORATORY. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE FLAP DRAIN/VENT HOLES WERE SEALED WITH A FILLED MATERIAL AND PAINT. THE ACFT HAD A TOTAL OF 206 HOUR OF FLIGHT TIME. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, AN EMERGENCY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE WAS ISSUED CALLING FOR THE INSPECTION OF THE DRAIN/VENT HOLES ON THE INBOARD END OF EACH OF THE FOUR FLAP PANELS ON CESSNA S550 ACFT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,782 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 6,064 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 206 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 1, 1988; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,850 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-15D-4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Con Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BDL Windsor Locks CT at 10:10 pm
- Destination: CAK Akron OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.