Cessna 188 accident near Clayton, Louisiana, March 26, 1984
On March 26, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N8197V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clayton, Louisiana (Farmers Air Service airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clayton, Louisiana · Farmers Air Service · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N8197V · no longer on the register · serial 188-0447
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LAST LANDING OF THE DAY IN A GUSTY CROSSWIND, THE ACFT WENT OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY AND NOSED DOWN IN A PLOWED FIELD. THIS WAS THE PLTS 26TH LANDING FOR THIS DAY, ALL ON THE SAME RWY. THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 20 KTS.
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: 1,756 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 1,637 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 860 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Clayton LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.