Cessna 188B accident near Gibson, Georgia, September 7, 1982
On September 7, 1982 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4877R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gibson, Georgia. 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- September 7, 1982 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gibson, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4877R · no longer on the register · serial 18802396T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT BEGAN A SWATH RUN BY APPROACHING THE FIELD OVER TALL TREES. JUST BEYOND THE TREES WAS A 7 FT RISE IN THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT FLARE SOON ENOUGH. REPORTEDLY, THE PLANE STRUCK THE CROP, THE GEAR SHEARED OFF AND THE PLANE SLID TO A STOP. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WAS AN OPTICAL ILLUSION IN THE WAY THE SHARP RISE BLENDED IN WITH THE ROWS OF THE CROP.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,882 hours in all; 1,246 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days; 1,674 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,757 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 129 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 65J Wrens GA at 9:40 am
- Destination: 65J Wrens GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.