Cessna 188B accident near Monette, Arkansas, August 23, 2003
On August 23, 2003 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N5647G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monette, Arkansas (Whited Flying Service 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
Failure of the right brake and the pilot's inability to maintain directional control. A factor associated with the accident was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2003 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monette, Arkansas · Whited Flying Service · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5647G · registry record · serial 18801129
- 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 sustained substantial damage when it impacted a drainage ditch following a loss of directional control during takeoff. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll, the right brake failed and the airplane veered to the left of the runway. The pilot pulled the engine power to idle and the tail of the airplane came down. The airplane veered across several cotton rows and impacted a drainage ditch. Inspection of the airplane revealed a hole in the right brake line which allowed brake fluid to leak out of the system.
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: 6,347 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 298 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 6,230 as pilot in command; 117 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 3, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,641 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 2003; 260 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Monette AR at 11:00 pm
- Destination: PVT Monette AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from JBR
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.