Cessna A188B accident near Rolla, North Dakota, August 18, 2006
On August 18, 2006 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9224R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rolla, North Dakota. 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 maintain clearance from terrain during the aerial-application flight, and the loss of engine power due to the overstress failure of the engine crankshaft sustained during ground impact. Contributing to the accident was the low-altitude at which the flight was being operated and the wheat crop the airplane encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2006 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rolla, North Dakota · 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
- N9224R · no longer on the register · serial 18802167T
- 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 aerial-application flight experienced a loss of engine power during a low-altitude turn while spraying a field. The pilot performed an immediate forced landing into a nearby wheat field. The airplane was damaged when it encountered the wheat crop, spun around, and impacted terrain. The on-site investigation revealed that the engine crankshaft had fractured and the propeller had separated from the engine. The propeller was never located and is believed to be in a nearby slough or a densely wooded area. The fracture of the crankshaft and the cracking of the oil slinger flange were the result of an extreme load on the front of the engine pushing aft and offset from the crankshaft centerline. Ground impact is the most likely source of the load. The offset load created bending loads on the crankshaft that led to an overstress fracture of the crankshaft. The aft loads pushed the crankshaft aft into the case, causing one side of the oil slinger flange to crack because it was restrained by the case. The location of the crankshaft fracture initiation was not diametrically opposite from the final fracture region, consistent with some amount of clockwise (as viewed from the aft) rotation during the fracture.
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: 3,015 hours in all; 2,232 in this make and model; 167 in the last 90 days; 113 in the last 30 days; 2,968 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,167.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 06D Rolla ND at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 06D
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.