Cessna A188B accident near Olton, Texas, August 17, 1984
On August 17, 1984 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4863R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olton, Texas. 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
- August 17, 1984 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Olton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4863R · registry record · serial 18802382T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A TTL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD DURING WHICH THE ACFT CONTACTED A DITCH. THE RIGHT WING AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR WERE TORN FROM THE ACFT. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY AND NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LINES TO THE ENGINE. 8 OZ OF FLUID WAS DRAINED FROM THE FUEL STRAINER. 6 OZ OF WHICH WAS WATER AND 2 OZ OF FUEL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,320 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 298 in the last 90 days; 2,320 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 3, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-FCD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°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.