Cessna 188 accident near Devils Lake, North Dakota, June 8, 1982
On June 8, 1982 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 188, registered N2087J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Devils Lake, North Dakota. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1982 · about 2:00 am local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Devils Lake, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N2087J · registry record · serial T18803377
- 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 STARTED A SWATH RUN AT DUSK BY CROSSING UNDER A SET OF WIRES. AS HE CROSSED UNDER THE WIRES, ONE OF HIS MAIN GEAR STRUCK THE TOP OF A ROCK PILE. THE PILOT THOUGHT THAT BOTH OF THE MAIN GEAR HAD FAILED, AND HE ELECTED TO MAKE A BELLY LANDING IN A SLOUGH. DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE REMAINING GEAR AND WENT OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 11,790 hours in all; 2,800 in this make and model; 11,580 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 750 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Devils Lake ND at 8:40 pm
- Destination: Devils Lake ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 156°F (69°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 N2087J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2087J on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 188 33 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 4,110 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,493 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2087J 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN82DTG05.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.