Cessna 188A accident near Valley City, North Dakota, August 6, 1989
On August 6, 1989 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188A, registered N188TV, was destroyed in an accident near Valley City, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOT. THE POWER LINE WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1989 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Valley City, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188A · all 188As on the register
- Registration
- N188TV · no longer on the register · serial 18800687
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE WIRES OF A LARGE POWER LINE AT THE COMPLETION OF A SWATH RUN. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 35 FT AGL. AFTER THE COLLISION, THE ACFT ROLLED INVERTED & IMPACTED THE GND ABOUT 270 FT BEYOND THE POWER LINE. THE PLT'S PREV APPLICATION FOR A MED CERT HAD BEEN DENIED.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,283 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1989; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Valley City ND at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from JMS, 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.