Cessna T188 accident near Williamsburg, Michigan, May 22, 1990
On May 22, 1990 at about 10:00 am local time, a Cessna T188, registered N9441J, was destroyed in an accident near Williamsburg, Michigan. 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
A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR LANDING WAS A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 1990 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Williamsburg, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188 · all T188s on the register
- Registration
- N9441J · no longer on the register · serial T18803806T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AT AN ALTITUDE OF 200 FT AGL, A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER OCCURRED. THE PILOT JETTISONED THE CHEMICAL LOAD AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND IN AN ORCHARD, THEN MANEUVERED THE AIRPLANE TO AVOID A RESIDENTIAL AREA. HOWEVER, WHILE BEING MANEUVERED, THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED POWER LINES AND TREES. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT WAS DESTROYED BY POST-IMPACT FIRE. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE FAILED TO REVEAL THE CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,250 hours in all; 635 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,050 as pilot in command; 112 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1990; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-T (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MI03 Elk Rapids MI at 10:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 am from TVC, 8 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.