Cessna 188B accident near Huntsville, Alabama, June 15, 1995
On June 15, 1995 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N5621G, was destroyed in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The downdraft weather condition, and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the terrain during his maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1995 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5621G · no longer on the register · serial 188116T
- 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 STATED THAT HE WAS APPLYING AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS. HE SAID THAT DURING CLIMBOUT AT THE COMPLETION OR A SWATH RUN, HE CROSSED OVER A RIDGE. AFTER CROSSING THE RIDGE LINE, HE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE DOWNDRAFT. HE WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE AIRCRAFT'S DESCENT AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRPLANE WERE REPORTED BY THE PILOT.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,650 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 1995; 250 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: M82
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from HSV, 30 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.