Cessna 188A accident near Burlington, Colorado, July 16, 1983
On July 16, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188A, registered N1584M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burlington, Colorado. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188A · all 188As on the register
- Registration
- N1584M · no longer on the register · serial 18800684
- 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 ACFT STALLED INTO THE GROUND AFTER A DIVE AND ACCELERATED PULL-UP DURING AERIAL APPLICATION. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS DOING THE STEEP PULL-UPS AND DIVES BECAUSE OF PROXIMITY TO THE CITY OF BURLINGTON CO. HE SAID THE ACFT WAS JUST ABOUT EMPTY OF GAS AND CHEMICAL SPRAY AS HE MADE THE CLEANUP PASS WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. HE DOVE FROM ABOUT 300 FT AT A 60-70 DEGREE DIVE TO WITHIN 50 FT OF THE GROUND BEFORE BEGINNING TO FLARE. HE ESTIMATED THE IAS AT 105 KTS WHEN HE STARTED THE FLARE. DURING THE FLARE THE ACFT SHUDDERED. HE STATED THAT DURING THE PULL-UP WING OVER TURN AROUND MANEUVER THE ACFT NEVER SHUDDERED AND THE STALL WARNING DID NOT SOUND. WHEN THE ACFT SHUDDERED DURING THE PULL-OUT OF THE DIVE THE PILOT SAID HE RELEASED BACK PRESSURE FOR A SECOND AND THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A 3 POINT ATTITUDE. THE ACFT PANCAKED HARD AND SLID 75 YARDS. THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON IMPACT. THE GROUND ELEVATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE IS ABOUT 4178 FT. THE DENSITY ALT WAS FIGURED TO BE 7500 FT.
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
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 70 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,270 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
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.