Cessna A188B accident near Center, Colorado, July 11, 1986
On July 11, 1986 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N53353, was substantially damaged in an accident near Center, Colorado (Leach 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
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 11, 1986 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Center, Colorado · Leach Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N53353 · no longer on the register · serial 18801784T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT THE ACFT CRASHED DURING TAKEOFF BECAUSE THE ENG WAS NOT DEVELOPING FULL POWER. THE OWNER OF THE AG SPRAYING BUSINESS (TO WHOM THE ACFT BELONGS) AND ANOTHER PLT FOR THE OPERATOR, STATED THE MIXTURE WAS IMPROPERLY SET & THEREFORE THE ENG WOULD NOT HAVE DEVELOPED POWER TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1986; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D23 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 7,100 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:15 am
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.