Cessna A188 accident near Corsica, SD
On July 27, 2020, a Cessna A188 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Corsica, SD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 27, 2020
- Place
- Corsica, SD
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.428°N, 98.244°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200727X35400
Official records · CEN20LA309
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 27, 2020, about 1045 central daylight time, a Cessna A188 airplane, N53163, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Corsica, South Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 aerial application flight. According to the operator, the pilot had started with the company about 3 months before the accident. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew about 2.5 hours practicing spray operations with loads of water. The accident occurred on his third flight of the day. According to witnesses, the pilot had completed two passes over the field. After he completed the second pass, the pilot entered a turn to return for another pass when the airplane suddenly nosed over and impacted the ground. One of the witnesses noted that the airplane entered a descending spiral before impact. Two witnesses heard a loud noise from the airplane before seeing it "nosedive." The sound was similar to a "backfire" or "an over-inflated tire bursting." All three witnesses stated that the airplane appeared to be flying normally before the accident occurred. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot received a Part 137 agricultural endorsement on May 8, 2020. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane came to rest in a bean field. The forward fuselage was fragmented, and the aft fuselage was buckled consistent with impact forces. Both wings exhibited leading edge crush damage and localized deformation. The empennage remained attached to the fuselage. The flight control surfaces remained attached to the
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
More accidents in SD
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Browse: South Dakota · 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.
