Cessna T188 accident near Mccurtain, Oklahoma, June 12, 2020
On June 12, 2020 at about 6:20 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna T188, registered N2085J, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Mccurtain, Oklahoma. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper airspeed during a low altitude aerial application maneuver and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodymanic stall at too low of an altiutde to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2020 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mccurtain, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188 C, built 1978 · all T188s on the register
- Registration
- N2085J · no longer on the register · serial T18803375T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting an aerial application flight to a field that had a small hill on the north side. After the completion of the second pass, the pilot maneuvered the airplane out of the field to turn away from the hill and to get turned around for another pass. Upon starting the turn back towards the field, the pilot realized that he had not allowed adequate space to perform the turn given the airplane's "current load and environmental conditions." The pilot leveled the wings and attempted to fly over the hill; however, the airplane encountered an aerodynamic stall about 30 ft above ground level and subsequently impacted trees and rocky terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, the left wing, and the empennage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,050 hours in all; 843 in this make and model; 378.2 in the last 90 days; 152.6 in the last 30 days; 2,999.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 18, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,294 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors TSIO-520-T (piston); 1,614 hours total
- Operator: Agratech, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GZL Stigler OK at 5:50 pm
- Destination: GZL Stigler OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KGZL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 31, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Additional Pilot Questions | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Site Density Altitude Calculations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Cessna Ag Husky (T188C) Owner's Manual Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2085J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.