Cessna A188B accident near Dexter, Missouri, September 9, 2002
On September 9, 2002 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4919Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dexter, Missouri. 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 fatigue fracture of the connecting rod, the recommended engine overhaul not performed by the company, and the low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2002 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Dexter, Missouri · 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
- N4919Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802654T
- 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 agricultural airplane impacted a cotton field during a forced landing. Examination of the engine revealed that the number two connecting rod was fractured. The fracture surface was consistent with a fatigue fracture. The engine exceed the manufacture's time to be overhauled by 283 hours.
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
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,451.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520-D32B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXE Dexter MO at 1:50 pm
- Destination: DXE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from POF, 26 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.