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Accidents · NTSB ERA09LA258 · Final report

Cessna A188B accident near Pinehurst, Georgia, April 23, 2009

On April 23, 2009 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4789Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pinehurst, Georgia (Private Airstrip airport). 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

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 23, 2009 · about 2:00 pm local time
Place
Pinehurst, Georgia · Private Airstrip · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
Registration
N4789Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802531T
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

After spraying for mosquitoes for approximately 2 hours, the pilot returned for landing. The airplane approached the north runway, a 2,600-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. During the approach, the airplane banked left onto final approach and the engine revved to high rpm. The airplane touched down long, toward the left side of the runway. The airplane traveled off the left side of the runway, impacted bushes, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions and fuel was noted throughout the fuel system. The wreckage was righted, the engine was started, and it ran continuously to 2,500 rpm. The pilot had accumulated about 15,000 hours of total flight experience. Although the autopsy report noted the cause of deal as blunt force trauma, the report also indicated that examination of the pilot’s heart revealed a markedly enlarged (but not thickened) heart, consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition frequently associated with sudden cardiac death. There was no indication that the pilot was aware of the condition, and a relationship between the condition and the accident could not be conclusively established. Another pilot reported that the wind was from the west at 5 to 7 mph at the time of the accident.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Loss of control on ground during landing
  2. Runway excursion during landing defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined

Pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
  • Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: sngl
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 10,477 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 2009
  • Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Cont Motor IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
  • Operator: A & C Ag Aviation Inc.

The flight

  • Departed from: NONE Pinehurst GA at 12:00 pm
  • Destination: NONE Pinehurst GA
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 100 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
  • Visibility: 7 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 1,300 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 1:53 pm from ABY, 30 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

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.