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Accidents · NTSB CHI00LA094 · Final report

Cessna A188B accident near Hayti, Missouri, March 21, 2000

On March 21, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4859Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hayti, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

the failure of maintenance personnel to properly install and connect the aileron control rod. Factors were the inadequate annual inspection by maintenance personnel and the aileron control not possible by the pilot.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 21, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
Place
Hayti, Missouri · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
Registration
N4859Q · no longer on the register · serial 188-02595
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The airplane had just received an annual inspection and a maintenance test flight was being performed. The pilot reported that during the flight the aileron control was ineffective. He reported that the '...right aileron appeared to be disconnected, moving up and down, [with] no response.' The pilot said that he was in a right turn and was unable to bring up the right wing. He said that he was losing altitude and decided to land the airplane on '... soft plowed ground...' The pilot said that, during the landing, the right wing struck the ground. During a postaccident examination of the aircraft, the right aileron pushrod end bearing bolt was found installed in the bellcrank, but the bolt did not pass through the rod end bearing. According to maintenance records, the aileron pushrod end bearings were replaced during the annual inspection due to excessive play. No other anomalies were found with respect to the aircraft or aircraft systems.

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; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 13,362 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 13,362 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,138 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 2000; 0 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: M28 at 8:50 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: not reported
  • Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 8:53 pm from HKA, 18 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.