Cessna 188B accident near Houston, Mississippi, March 24, 1983
On March 24, 1983 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N731PP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Mississippi (Houston Municipal airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- March 24, 1983 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Mississippi · Houston Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731PP · registry record · serial 18802050T
- 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 PLT REPORTED THAT DURING TAKEOFF, HE HAD REACHED AN ALT OF APRX 100 FT AGL, HAD REDUCED POWER & WAS RETRACTING THE FLAPS FROM THE TAKEOFF SETTING WHEN HE FELT THE ACFT 'GIVE.' HE REEXTENDED THE FLAPS, APPLIED FULL THROTTLE & DUMPED HIS LOAD, BUT THE ACFT CONTINUED TO LOSE ALT & AIRSPEED UNTIL IT HIT THE TOP OF A TREE & CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE TOP MEMBER OF THE RIGHT WING TUBULAR REAR SPAR WAS BROKEN AT THE CLUSTER JOINT WHERE THE SPAR ATTACHES TO THE FUSELAGE STUB WING. THE FRACTURE SURFACES WERE SEVERELY RUSTED. THE FRACTURE OCCURRED WHERE THE WING HAD BEEN WELDED. REPORTEDLY, THE RIGHT WING TIP HAD BEEN DAMAGED APRX 3 YRS PREVIOUSLY & WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REPAIRED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 9,211 hours in all; 7,500 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,094 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M44 Houston MS at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from GWO, 68 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.