Cessna A188 accident near Pineview, Georgia, April 13, 2021
On April 13, 2021 at about 12:52 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna A188, registered N4912Q, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Pineview, Georgia. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in collision with powerlines during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2021 · about 12:52 pm local time
- Place
- Pineview, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 B, built 1976 · all A188s on the register
- Registration
- N4912Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802647T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been performing aerial application over the local area for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and had two more residences to spray before returning to the departure airport. Witnesses and GPS data revealed that the airplane was travelling northeast, about 50 ft above ground level, when it collided with powerlines. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The powerlines were depicted on the area sectional aeronautical chart, and solar calculations revealed that sun glare was not a factor because the sun was approximately 23° above the horizon and 50° to the right of the airplane’s track at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s inadequate visual lookout while operating at low altitude during the aerial application flight, which resulted in collision with powerlines.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,511 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,284 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 8, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,554 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 23, 2021; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 2,954 hours total
- Operator: A&C Ag Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Unadilla GA at 11:05 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from MCN, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on January 19, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot Flight Experience | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Excerpts from Maintenance Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Global Positioning System (GPS) Device - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Attachment 1 to Global Positioning System (GPS) Device - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 11 | Solar Calculations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 13 | Wreckage Release and Evidence Control Forms | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.