- Date
- July 2, 1988, 22:15 local (Jul 3, 1988, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sentinel Butte, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3546QCessna 188
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880702024999A
- Case key
- 17494
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot took off from his private airstrip near Sentinel Butte, ND, en route to beach, ND. He said there was a narrow cloud ahead, approximately 5-8 miles long, and emitting lightning, but it did not appear to him to threaten flight safety. The pilot said he suddenly hit turbulence and the wings rolled vertical, but he was able to recover. The aircraft then hit a downdraft. The pilot added full power and one notch of flaps. The aircraft brushed some tree tops, then hit a hill, tearing off the right main landing gear. The aircraft then hit the ground and skidded into another hill. The fuel tank ruptured and the aircraft caught fire. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he never flew under the cloud.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3546Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 188
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 188-0496
- Airframe hours
- 3,685
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Boyd H. Trester
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1988 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- Sentinel Butte, ND
- Destination
- 204 · Beach, ND
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,827 total · 2,456 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Variable at 9 knots, gusting 50
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.