Cessna A188B accident near Pioneer, Louisiana, June 1, 2000
On June 1, 2000 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N70114, was destroyed in an accident near Pioneer, Louisiana. 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 clearance with trees while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the pilot's lack in experience with aerial application flight operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2000 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pioneer, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N70114 · no longer on the register · serial 18801840T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed with full fuel and 150 gallons of herbicide for a local aerial application flight. The airplane made three north-south spray runs, and during the third turn from the south to the north, the airplane contacted trees, the left wing separated, and subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground. A witness stated that during the third turn he could hear, but could 'barely see the aircraft over the tree tops, unlike the previous two times.' A friend of the accident pilot, who is also an agricultural pilot for the same operator, reported that on the evening of May 31, 2000, (one day prior to the accident flight) the accident pilot reported that he had 'hit some trees on that day and had to pull the leaves out of the boom of the airplane.' The accident pilot had also reported that 'he had the power lines licked, but seemed to have a problem clearing the tree tops.' The pilot had successfully completed a professional agricultural pilot training course on May 5, 2000, and the accident flight was the pilot's second revenue spray flight.
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: 586 hours in all; 214 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE LA at 11:35 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N70114 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.