Cessna A188B accident near Morton, TX
On October 14, 1997, a Cessna A188B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Morton, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 14, 1997
- Place
- Morton, TX
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.720°N, 102.749°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08994
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 14, 1997, at 0947 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B agricultural airplane, N731GY, was destroyed upon impact with power lines and subsequent impact with terrain while maneuvering near Morton, Texas. The non-instrument rated commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was fatally injured. The restricted category airplane was owned and operated by Cunningham Crop Care Inc., of Morton, Texas, under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The airplane departed from the Cochran County Airport (F85), near Morton, Texas, approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident. In a telephone interview, the operator told the investigator-in charge (IIC) that the spray-equipped agricultural airplane had been spraying "Roundup" defoliant (non-toxic) on a 170 acre cotton field east of the mishap site, using north-to-south-to-north passes. The flagger reported to the FAA inspector that because of a wire-pole line along the western border of the field, the pilot was to make one additional "clean up" pass just to the west of the pole line, utilizing the prevailing westerly wind to drift the chemical to cover any voids along the western edge of the treated field. The airplane struck a power line that runs in an east-to-west direction, "teeing" into the power line bordering the cotton field at the northwest corner of the field. The airplane severed three of the four pole-mounted aluminum electrical cables at an approximately height of 35 feet off the ground.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines while maneuvering during an aerial application flight.
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Browse: Texas · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
