Cessna A188B accident near Waynesboro, Georgia, April 2, 1997
On April 2, 1997 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N53212, was destroyed in an accident near Waynesboro, Georgia (Burke County airport). 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 right wing after the pilot exceeded the design stress limit of the airplane, leading to a loss of control in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 1997 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesboro, Georgia · Burke County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N53212 · no longer on the register · serial 18801689T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was attempting to spray a wheat field which was 4 1/2 miles south of the departure airport. It crashed in a heavily wooded area 1 mile south of the wheat field. According to the Cessna investigator, the airplane was within the center of gravity and weight limits. The Cessna representative also reported the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were separated from the main wreckage. He also believed the flaps were extended one notch. Further examination of the wreckage showed the right wing was fractured along the chord line from the leading edge to the rear spar. This occurred at the rib inboard of the strut attachment point on the wing. Aft of the rear spar, the wing panel exhibited 45 degree buckling on either side of the fracture. The top cap of the front spar exhibited double bending; the outboard bend was down, and the inboard bend was up. At the inboard bend, the spar was fractured. The fracture had a 45 degree bevel and no shear lips, consistent with a tensile overload failure.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 875 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,213 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1996
- 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
- Departed from: NONE at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 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.