Cessna 188 accident near Riverton, Utah, March 2, 1988
On March 2, 1988 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N8073V, was destroyed in an accident near Riverton, Utah. 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
- March 2, 1988 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Riverton, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N8073V · no longer on the register · serial 188-0323
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS AG OPERATOR WAS FERTILIZING A FIELD. HE WAS MAKING REPETATIVE TRIPS WHICH TOOK ABOUT 10 MIN EACH. THE PLT WAS AWARE THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE INACCURATE, READING LESS FUEL THAN WAS ACTUALLY ONBOARD. WHILE MAKING A SWATH RUN THE ENG LOST PWR AND THE ACFT STALLED DURING THE FORCED LANDING. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THERE WAS NO FUEL IN EITHER THE ACFT OR ENG FUEL SYSTEMS AND NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL SPILLAGE AROUND THE WRECKAGE.
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: 2,619 hours in all; 1,284 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 2,516 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,318 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1987; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D31 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 Salt Lake City UT at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from CDC, 15 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.