Cessna 188B accident near Stanton, Texas, September 29, 2000
On September 29, 2000 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4983Q, was destroyed in an accident near Stanton, Texas. 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 from guy wires and tower.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2000 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Stanton, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4983Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802717T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While spraying herbicides to a cotton field, the agricultural aircraft was performing a maneuver known as 'trimming the field.' Six witnesses observed the airplane in various stages of the operation, three of whom saw the airplane strike a 180 foot tower and the guys wires that support the tower. After the in-flight collision, the airplane impacted the ground and exploded. Evidence at the site revealed that the airplane struck the guy wires and the tower at about 145 feet AGL. Witness marks on the tower and the guy wires, and the proximity of the wreckage to the tower all corroborated the eye-witnesses' statements. An autopsy did not reveal any pre-existing medical conditions that could have contributed to the accident. Toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol. Acetaminophen (7.381 ug/ml, ug/g) was detected in the urine. The pilot had performed spraying in these fields in the past, and was aware of the tower.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,636 hours in all; 226 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,678 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 2000; 225 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 21XS Big Spring TX at 1:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.