Cessna 188B accident near Adams, Nebraska, July 23, 1997
On July 23, 1997 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4926R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Adams, Nebraska (Private Airstrip airport). 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
inadequate maintenance/annual inspection, and subsequent exhaustion of hydraulic (brake) fluid, which resulted in loss of braking action (right brake) and impact with a tree. The proximity of tree(s) was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1997 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Adams, Nebraska · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4926R · no longer on the register · serial 18802443T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a landing, the airplane exited the runway and impacted trees. The pilot said that the right brake failed to work. A postaccident inspection revealed the right brake master cylinder was devoid of any hydraulic fluid. There was no indication of a leak from the brake system. The airplane had been flown about 32 hours since the last annual inspection.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,384 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1997; 32 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: NONE at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 pm from KBI, 56 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.