Cessna A188 accident near Burlington, Colorado, September 3, 1992
On September 3, 1992 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188, registered N8041V, was destroyed in an accident near Burlington, Colorado. 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
FRACTURED CONNECTING ROD. A FACTOR WAS: THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1992 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 · all A188s on the register
- Registration
- N8041V · no longer on the register · serial 188-0291
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TURNING AROUND TO BEGIN ANOTHER SPRAY RUN WHEN THE ENGINE 'SPUTTERED AND STOPPED' AND THE PROPELLER STOPPED. THE PILOT DROPPED FULL FLAPS AND ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING ON A PATH BETWEEN TWO FIELDS. THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY STALLED THE AIRPLANE JUST ABOVE A CORN FIELD. THE RIGHT WING DROPPED, STRUCK TALL CORN STALKS, AND THE AIRPLANE CARTWHEELED. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THE NO. 1 CONNECTING ROD HAD FRACTURED, KNOCKING A HOLE IN THE CRANKCASE.
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: 994 hours in all; 408 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 830 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,218 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1991; 150 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: 5C0 Burlington CO at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 5C0
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
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.