Cessna A188B accident near Rapelje, Montana, April 10, 1989
On April 10, 1989 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N731XG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rapelje, Montana. 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 INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS BY THE PILOT WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ON LANDING AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH A DITCH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 1989 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Rapelje, Montana · 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
- N731XG · registry record · serial 18803233T
- 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 COMMERCIAL AG PLT WAS OPERATING A SINGLE PLACE CESSNA 188 FROM A ROAD NEAR RAPELJE, MT. THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WINDS FROM THE WEST AT 5 KTS, GUSTING TO 12 KTS. DURING A LANDING TO THE NORTH TO RELOAD WITH FERTILIZER, A GUST OF WIND STRUCK THE ACFT AND THE PLT SAID HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE ROAD TO THE LEFT AND STRUCK A DITCH, DAMAGING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR AND LEFT WING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,400 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 14,335 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,469 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1988; 135 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: NONE at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N731XG on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna A188 251 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D 95 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,045 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN89LA106.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.