Cessna 188B accident near Belhaven, North Carolina, October 11, 2006
On October 11, 2006 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N91181, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belhaven, North Carolina. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to compensate for wind conditions and maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2006 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Belhaven, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N91181 · no longer on the register · serial 18802024
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during takeoff from a grass airstrip, the airplane stalled on initial climb and crashed in a cotton field. He was carrying 150 gallons of chemicals. The pilot stated that, upon exiting the airplane, he observed that the wind had switched from a headwind to a tailwind. The pilot stated that he should have erected a windsock or should have taken on a lighter load of chemicals. He also said that there were no mechanical problems noted with the airplane prior to the accident. Substantial damage occurred to both wings, the propeller, the fuselage, and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. According to an FAA Inspector, the pilot was engaged in aerial application operations without an agricultural operator certificate.
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 land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,925 hours in all; 2,980 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 4,839 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,337 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006; 279 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Belhaven NC at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Belhaven NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from OCW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.