Cessna T188C accident near Sparta, Michigan, October 5, 1982
On October 5, 1982 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N2892J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sparta, Michigan (Sparta airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- October 5, 1982 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Sparta, Michigan · Sparta
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2892J · no longer on the register · serial 3567T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED A NORMAL CLIMB OUT, BUT AS THE ACFT CLEARED TREES THE PLT BEGAN JETTISONING THE LOAD. THE PLT STATED THAT ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 6 THE ACFT SEEMED TO MUSH & THEN DESCEND INTO THE TREES. THE WIND AT GRAND RAPIDS, 20 MI SOUTH, WAS 170/06. THE PLT WAS OPERATING HIS OWN ACFT TO SPRAY HIS OWN ORCHARD.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,110 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 133 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-T (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8D4 Sparta MI at 1:35 am
- Destination: 8D4 Sparta MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.