Cessna T188C accident near Fowler, Colorado, May 14, 2005
On May 14, 2005 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N666DB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fowler, Colorado (Fowler Airfield). 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's failure to maintain visual lookout and clearance, resulting in an in-flight collision with transmission lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 2005 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fowler, Colorado · Fowler Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N666DB · no longer on the register · serial T18803351T
- 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 said he saw something move inside the cockpit after he had completed a spray run. He glanced down but didn't see anything. He returned his scan to the surroundings and noticed transmission lines level with the aircraft. He pitched the nose up to avoid a collision but encountered a downdraft and was forced into the lines, severing three of them and knocking down a utility pole. The pilot was able to fly the airplane back to the airport and land without incident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,985 hours in all; 406 in this make and model; 4,574 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,226 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520R(9B) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C080 Fowler CO at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Fowler CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 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.
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.