Cessna 188B accident near Hartsville, South Carolina, October 5, 1989
On October 5, 1989 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N21897, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartsville, South Carolina. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE IN-FLIGHT CLEARANCE FROM OBSTACLES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1989 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hartsville, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N21897 · no longer on the register · serial 18801107
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETION OF AERIAL APPLICATION TO A COTTON FIELD, THE PILOT MADE A LEFT CLIMBING TURN TO A SOUTHERLY COURSE. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN CLIMBED TO ABOUT 400 FEET. AT A POSITION ABEAM OF THE APPROACH END OF THE FIELD WHICH HAD BEEN SPRAYED, ABOUT 1/4 MILE WEST OF THE FIELD, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A SUPPORT GUY WIRE FOR A TELEVISION BROADCAST ANTENNA. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED MARKINGS ON THE PROPELLER & LEFT WING WHICH WERE INDICATIVE OF A COLLISION WITH A CABLE.
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: 4,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,369 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 1989; 234 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: 58J Timmonsville SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 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.
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.