Cessna A188B accident near Malone, Texas, June 23, 1986
On June 23, 1986 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9737J, was destroyed in an accident near Malone, 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 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
- June 23, 1986 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Malone, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9737J · no longer on the register · serial 18003848T
- 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 CRASHED BEFORE BEGINNING A SPRAYING OPERATION AFTER MAKING A LOW PASS OVER THE FIELD TO ALERT A WORKMAN. ACCORDING TO ONE WITNESS, A YOUNG BICYCLIST, THE ACFT WAS TURNING AROUND AND BEGAN 'FLOPPING' BEFORE IT DISAPPEARED BEHIND A HILL. THE FIELD WORKMAN DID NOT SEE THE TURN OR THE CRASH. THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND LEFT WING FIRST AND THEN NOSED INTO A LOW EMBANKMENT. THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT WAS ABOUT 200 FT EAST OF THE COTTON FIELD TO BE SPRAYED AND THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST 110 FT EAST OF THE IMPACT POINT FACING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION. THE PATHOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL REPORT REVEALED NEGATIVE OR INSIGNIFICANT FINDINGS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,153 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 943 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 1985; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Malone TX at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.