Cessna T-188C accident near De Quincy, Louisiana, February 16, 1985
On February 16, 1985 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna T-188C, registered N2633J, was destroyed in an accident near De Quincy, Louisiana. 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
- February 16, 1985 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- De Quincy, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-188C · all T-188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2633J · no longer on the register · serial T18803489T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN TREES FOLLOWING AN ENG FAILURE AT 200 FT AGL. SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE FROM AN AG STRIP, THE ENG OIL TEMP STARTED RISING. THE PLT STARTED A TURN TO RETURN TO THE STRIP. DURING THE TURN THE ENG SEIZED AND THE PLT LANDED IN THE TREES AS THERE WAS NO OTHER SUITABLE TERRAIN. THE ENG HAD A HISTROY OF HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION THAT WAS NOT REMEDIED. INSP OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THERE WAS NO OIL PRESENT. SUSPECT OIL STARVATION WITH A SUBSEQUENT INTERNAL FAILURE. THE ENGINE WAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE FOR TEARDOWN.
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: 3,295 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,093 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°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.