Cessna T188C accident near Pisek, North Dakota, July 25, 1987
On July 25, 1987 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N2037J, was destroyed in an accident near Pisek, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 25, 1987 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Pisek, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2037J · no longer on the register · serial T18803312T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PREPARING TO SPRAY A POTATO FIELD WITH A MIXTURE OF WATER AND 2 LBS OF 'BLIGHT-OUT.' HE MADE ONE OBSERVATION PASS OVER THE FIELD TO CHECK FOR OBSTRUCTIONS AND NOTICED TWO SETS OF POWER LINES, ONE ON THE EAST SIDE OF A ROAD AND THE OTHER ON THE WEST SIDE. THE PLT STARTED HIS SPRAY PASS TO THE EAST. HE SAID HE 'FIXATED' ON TOP OF THE POWER LINE POLE TO ESTABLISH THE HEIGHT OF THE WIRES. AS HE PULLED UP FOR THE POLE, HE REALIZED HE WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE WEST WIRES BLENDED IN WITH THE WIRES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE ROAD. BECAUSE HE HAD VERY LITTLE ALTITUDE, THE PLT DECIDED TO FLY UNDERNEATH THE POWER LINES. THE PLT SAID HE COLLIDED WITH THE POWER LINES AND CRASHED, FLIPPED INVERTED, AND SKIDDED TO A HALT.
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: 1,268 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 330 in the last 90 days; 1,184 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,942 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dakota Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: GAF Grafton ND at 2:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from GFK, 27 miles away
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.