Cessna A188B accident near Aiken, South Carolina, September 11, 1990
On September 11, 1990 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9422R, was destroyed in an accident near Aiken, 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 PILOT'S DELAYED PULL-UP DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION SWATH WHICH RESULTED IN THE COLLISION WITH A STATIC WIRE ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1990 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Aiken, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9422R · no longer on the register · serial 18802280T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OF MALATHION ON COTTON FOR THE USDA BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION PROGRAM. THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE SECOND APPLICATION OF THE DAY. ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION WIRES CROSSED OVER THE WESTERN END OF THE FIELD BEING SPRAYED. THE PILOT HAD BEEN IN RADIO CONTACT WITH USDA MONITORS WHO WERE LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE FIELD. THE MONITORS STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD NOT IDENTIFIED ANY PROBLEMS OR DIFFICULTIES. APPROXIMATELY 14 SWATH RUNS HAD BEEN COMPLETED WHEN, ACCORDING TO THE MONITORS, THE PILOT PULLED UP LATE & COLLIDED WITH ONE OF THE STATIC WIRES THAT TOPPED THE ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES. THE AIRPLANE THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND & BURNED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 6,589 hours in all; 6,216 as pilot in command; 51 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,859 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1990; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from AGS, 22 miles away
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.