Cessna A188B accident near Happy, Texas, June 2, 2007
On June 2, 2007 at about 3:57 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N53377, was destroyed in an accident near Happy, Texas (Mcneill Ranch Airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight fire while maneuvering for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2007 · about 3:57 pm local time
- Place
- Happy, Texas · Mcneill Ranch Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N53377 · no longer on the register · serial 18801796T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that he was flying his single-engine agricultural airplane approximately 300-feet above ground level when he smelled "hot wiring." He then saw smoke in the cockpit, and saw flames underneath the trailing edge of the right wing. The pilot made a precautionary landing on a county road, and exited the airplane normally. An FAA inspector examined the airplane. A review of photographs taken by the inspector revealed that the left wing and fuselage were consumed by fire, and the engine cowling had thermal damage. The mid-section of the right wing and tip of the elevator sustained thermal damage. This damage appeared to be heavy sooting, paint blistering, and metal deformation, consistent with an in-flight fire. However, the origin of the in-flight fire could not be determined. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector, who responded to the operator's facility, that the airplane's maintenance records were aboard the airplane at the time of the mishap, and according to the pilot, they were destroyed in the fire.
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: 12,044 hours in all; 8,490 in this make and model; 360 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006; 300 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 6TE7 Wayside TX
- Destination: 6TE7
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,000 ft by 34 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KAMA
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.