Cessna 188 accident near West Point, Virginia, May 17, 1982
On May 17, 1982 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N5522S, was destroyed in an accident near West Point, Virginia (West Point Virginia airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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
- May 17, 1982 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- West Point, Virginia · West Point Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N5522S · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOOK OFF WITH A 50 GAL LOAD OF WATER TO CALIBRATE THE SPRAY SYSTEM. HE STATED THAT DURING A SWATH RUN, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE OR WHIRRING SOUND AND INITIALLY THOUGHT THERE WAS A SPRAY PUMP PROPELLER FAILURE. IMMEDIATELY, HE PULLED UP, STARTED A LEFT TURN TO LAND, AND BEGAN DUMPING THE LOAD. AT THE SAME TIME, HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD LOST POWER. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE RUNWAY. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN IN A CUT-OVER AREA, THE LEFT WING STRUCK A STUMP AND THE PLANE CRASHED. THE ENGINE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND CAME TO REST PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN A DRAINAGE DITCH. THE CARBURETOR HAD SEPARATED AND THE THROTTLE CONTROL HAD FAILED IN TENSION. THE MIXTURE CONTROL PUSH-PULL WIRE WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE CARBURETOR. AN EXAMINATION OF THE MIXTURE CONTROL WIRE ATTACH END REVEALED NO SIGNS OF TENSILE LOADING OR SCRATCHES ON THE WIRE; THE ATTACHING HARDWARE COULD NOT BE FOUND.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 895 hours in all; 264 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,652 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W97 West Point VA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: W97 West Point VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,700 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°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.
Other NTSB records under N5522S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.