Cessna 188B accident near Loami, Illinois, July 24, 1982
On July 24, 1982 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4970Q, was destroyed in an accident near Loami, Illinois (Parks airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1982 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Loami, Illinois · Parks
- 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
- N4970Q · registry record · serial 18802704T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TAKING OFF ON THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY WITH A REPORTED LOAD OF 1080 LBS OF WHEAT SEED. DURING THE TAKEOFF, THERE WAS A DIRECT CROSSWIND OF 6 KTS AND THE TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT WERE 78 AND 68 DEG, RESPECTIVELY. AFTER USING ABOUT 3/4 OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT BECAME AWARE THAT HE WAS A NOT GOING TO GET AIRBORNE IN SUFFICIENT TIME TO CLEAR A LINE OF TREES. HE ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY DUMP LEVER, BUT THE SYSTEM WAS PROGRAMMED TO DUMP ONLY 1.5 BUSHELS PER ACRE. TO AVOID RUNNING INTO THE LINE OF TREES, THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED THE PLANE, BUT IT CONTINUED INTO THE TREES WHILE MOVING BACKWARD.
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: 2,833 hours in all; 2,514 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 2,514 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,646 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bob Davis Flying Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 3H9 Loami IL at 10:29 am
- Destination: 3H9 Loami IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 132 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 172°F (78°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 am from SPI, 14 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.