Cessna A188B accident near Nickerson, Kansas, July 31, 2002
On July 31, 2002 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9639G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nickerson, Kansas. 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
Fuel starvation due to the fuel contamination, the blocked fuel strainer, and the refueling truck's contaminated fuel. A factor was the berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2002 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Nickerson, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9639G · no longer on the register · serial 18801575
- 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 airplane struck a berm during a forced landing resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported he was finishing spraying a field when he "encountered an unscheduled power rollback." He executed a forced landing to an alfalfa field. During the landing roll the airplane impacted a berm and sustained substantial damage. The inspection of the airplane's fuel system revealed the fuel strainer was blocked with a black rubber like substance. The fuel truck that fueled the airplane was checked for contaminates. The same type of substance that was found in the airplane's fuel filter strainer was found in the tank of the refueling truck.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 5,159 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 4,753 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,818 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 3, 2002; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ellinwood Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: LYO Lyons KS at 1:20 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from HUT, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N9639G 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.