Cessna A188B accident near Hertsboro, Alabama, September 20, 1990
On September 20, 1990 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N8677G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hertsboro, Alabama. 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
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER BLADE WHICH RESULTED FROM IMPROPER OVERHAUL PROCEDURES, AND THE ABSENCE OF OIL IN THE PROPELLER HUB WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE DETECTION OF BLADE CRACKS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1990 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hertsboro, Alabama · 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
- N8677G · no longer on the register · serial 18801309T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AERIAL APPLICATION ONE PROPELLER BLADE SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING THE FORCED LANDING ROLL. EXAM OF THE PROPELLER REVEALED THAT A FATIGUE FRACTURE ORIGINATED AT A SCORE MARK IN THE HUB THREADS OF THE BLADE. DEPOSITS WERE FOUND IN THE FRACTURE ENRICHED BY CARBON & OXYGEN. GRAPHITE, THE LUBRICANT USED IN THE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY, IS CARBON BASED. TESTING SHOWED THAT THE BLADE'S HARDNESS & TENSILE STRENGTH WAS BELOW MFG SPECIFICATIONS. THE SAFETY BOARD BELIEVES THAT THE FRACTURE WAS OPENED UP DURING THE LAST PROPELLER OVERHAUL, ABOUT 583 OPERATING HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ALSO, OIL REQUIRED IN THE HUB TO ALLOW EARLY DETECTION OF BLADE CRACKS WAS ABSENT.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,150 hours in all; 2,400 in this make and model; 12,025 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,701 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1990; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gardner Flying Services
The flight
- Departed from: EUF Eaufala AL at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from DHN, 50 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.