Cessna 188B accident near Halstead, Kansas, July 28, 1997
On July 28, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4864Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Halstead, Kansas. 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
the pilot failed to maintain adequate clearance from the transmission wires. Factors included the malfunctioning of the wire cutter and pilot fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Halstead, Kansas · 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
- N4864Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802600T
- 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 he was making a fourth pass on a field during aerial application when he 'failed to initiate a pull-up in time to clear the powerline.' The right main landing gear struck a wire. The wire cutter located on the right landing gear did not sever the wire. The wire broke in two from the force of the impact with the airplane. The wire on the right side of the airplane broke about 30 feet from the airplane. The wire went underneath the empenage and wrapped itself around the left elevator. The left elevator and horizontal stabilizer were being cut in two until the wire on the left side of the aircraft broke. A 75 foot section of wire trailed the airplane as the pilot continued flying. By applying about 40 pounds of forward stick pressure and not dumping the chemical load, he was able to land at Newton, Kansas. The pilot reported that he was fatigued as a result of working approximately 18 hour days the week prior to the accident.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 3,400 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,641 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1997; 160 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TNU Newton KS at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N4864Q 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.