Cessna A188B accident near Prattville, Alabama, July 2, 1983
On July 2, 1983 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9381G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prattville, Alabama (Snowden Airstrip airport). 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 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
- July 2, 1983 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prattville, Alabama · Snowden Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9381G · no longer on the register · serial 18801466
- 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 ACFT COLLIDED WITH A COW DURING TAKEOFF FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLT. THE COLLISION BROKE OFF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND KILLED THE COW. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE COW GOT THROUGH THE FENCE AND WANDERED ONTO THE STRIP. THE AIRSTRIP HAS A SMALL RISE IN IT WHICH DID NOT PERMIT THE PILOT TO SEE THE COW IN TIME TO AVOID IT OR STOP. THE PILOT LOWERED THE FLAPS AND TRIED TO FLY OVER THE COW BUT THE RIGHT GEAR STRUCK THE COW. THE TAKEOFF WAS CONTINUED AND A LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN A PASTURE NEXT TO THE AIRSTRIP.
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
- Flight time: 2,813 hours in all; 1,605 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 2,592 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,476 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N9381G 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.