Cessna A188B accident near Wall, South Dakota, October 12, 1993
On October 12, 1993, a Cessna A188B, registered N4788Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wall, South Dakota (Wall Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE TYPE (MAKE AND MODEL) OF AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1993
- Place
- Wall, South Dakota · Wall Muni · 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
- N4788Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802530T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE AND WAS FLYING IT FROM THE POINT OF PURCHASE IN WINNER, SOUTH DAKOTA, TO HIS HOME IN MONTANA. WHILE LANDING AT THE FIRST EN ROUTE STOP, HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, AND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. IN A STATEMENT, THE PILOT SAID HE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A THREE POINT LANDING, WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE MADE WHEEL LANDINGS UNTIL HE WAS MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPLANE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,558 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1993; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SD39 Winner SD at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 6V4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 16 statute miles
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N4788Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.