Cessna A188B accident near Aitkin, Minnesota, August 23, 1996
On August 23, 1996, a Cessna A188B, registered N4797Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aitkin, Minnesota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from known transmission lines. Factors relating to this accident were the transmission lines and the sunglare which hindered the pilot's ability to see the transmission lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1996
- Place
- Aitkin, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4797Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802536T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness on the ground who was assisting the pilot with the aerial application as flagman said that the pilot had said to him over the radio that the sun was getting in his eyes and that he was having difficulty seeing him. The pilot had made a pass on the field from west to the east and turned left to head westbound into the sun. 'I turned away to step off for the next pass, heard my wife scream and looked over to see the airplane skid to a halt.' As the witness was going to the airplane, he noticed the power lines were down. Another witness on the ground, the flagman's wife, saw the airplane make a left turn at the east end of the field 'to come back west which was into the sun. The left side of the airplane was a little low at that point. He (the pilot) was coming down fast and hit the ground.
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: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AIT at 11:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from AIT, 7 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.
Other NTSB records under N4797Q 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.