Cessna 188 accident near Dazey, North Dakota, August 4, 1990
On August 4, 1990 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N8024V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dazey, 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
A BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL TANK VENT LINE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH THE PILOT HAD TO MAKE 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 4, 1990 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dazey, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N8024V · no longer on the register · serial 1880274
- 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 PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE EN ROUTE BACK TO HIS HOME AIRFIELD FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WAS EXPERIENCED. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN AN UNHARVESTED WHEAT FIELD AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A FOREIGN MATERIAL BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL TANK VENT LINE.
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: 3,820 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 219 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 40 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,772 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1990; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 am from JMS, 35 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.