Cessna A188 accident near Hartington, Nebraska, July 27, 2020
On July 27, 2020 at about 12:45 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna A188, registered N9278G, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Hartington, Nebraska (Hartington Muni/ Bud Becker Fl airport). 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
The pilot's failure to ensure that the engine oil cap was installed before takeoff, which resulted in the oil obscuring the pilot’s view through the windshield and necessitated a forced landing on unsuitable terrain. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s complacency and self-induced pressure to complete the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2020 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hartington, Nebraska · Hartington Muni/ Bud Becker Fl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 B, built 1973 · all A188s on the register
- Registration
- N9278G · no longer on the register · serial 18801444
- 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 pilot reported that, before conducting a local, aerial application flight, he changed the engine oil. After refueling and loading the airplane with chemicals, the pilot departed. Shortly after takeoff, the windshield became covered with oil, which limited the pilot's visibility. He turned the airplane left toward a grass runway. The pilot did not dump the chemical load, and the airplane had a low airspeed and began to lose altitude. The pilot was not able to attain a climb, so he chose to conduct a forced landing in a cornfield near the end of the runway, during which the wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the reason the oil covered the windshield was that he had not reinstalled the oil cap after changing the oil. He added that he “had gotten out of …[his] routine” while performing the oil change and that ”complacency” and being in a “hurry were also some factors" in the accident.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,211.6 hours in all; 143.5 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 2,050 as pilot in command; 179.6 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,954.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D112 (piston); 844 hours total
- Operator: Becker Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0B4 Hartington NE at 12:45 pm
- Destination: 0B4 Hartington NE
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KYKN, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 2, 2021. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Miscellaneous Information - National Agricultural Aviation Association Paass Publication | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.