Cessna 188 accident near Valley City, North Dakota, August 4, 1987
On August 4, 1987 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N3530Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valley City, 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1987 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Valley City, 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
- N3530Q · no longer on the register · serial 188-0480
- 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 PLT RPRTD THE ENG LOST PWR DRG A SWATH RUN & THE ACFT WAS DMGD DRG A FORCED LNDG IN A FIELD OF MATURE SUNFLOWERS. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS & THE GASCOLATER CONTAINED FUEL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ENG WAS STARTED AT THE ACDNT SITE & IT RAN NORMALLY TO 1000 RPM, BUT WAS NOT OPERATED AT A HIGHER RPM DUE TO A BENT PROP. THE OWNER- OPERATOR RPRTD THAT ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, FUEL FED FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK FASTER THAN FROM THE RIGHT, WHEN THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE ON POSITION. ALSO, HE RPRTD THAT ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, THE BLADDER LINERS OF THE FUEL TANKS WERE FOUND TO BE UNSNAPPED & APPEARED TO HAVE COLLAPSED; BUT RPRTDLY, NO ACTION WAS TAKEN OTHER THAN TO REATTACH THE BLADDERS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,731 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1986; 240 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dazey ND at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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 N3530Q 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.