Cessna 188A accident near Holyoke, Colorado, August 20, 1990
On August 20, 1990 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188A, registered N2080J, was destroyed in an accident near Holyoke, Colorado. 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
A STALL MUSH WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE PILOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS PREMATURELY FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SETTLE INTO THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1990 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Holyoke, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188A · all 188As on the register
- Registration
- N2080J · registry record · serial T18803380T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AGRICULTURAL APPLICATOR TOOK OFF FULLY LOADED WITH FUEL AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL. GROSS WEIGHT WAS AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE MAXIMUM. THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE WHERE IT IMPACTED FOLLOWING FLAP RETRACTION. THE PILOT WAS JETTISONING HIS CHEMICAL LOAD AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.
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: 3,533 hours in all; 2,150 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 3,217 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520T (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:47 pm from AKO, 60 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.