Cessna A188B accident near Mcadoo, Texas, August 14, 1986
On August 14, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4851R, was destroyed in an accident near Mcadoo, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 14, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mcadoo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4851R · no longer on the register · serial 18802370T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE ENCOUNTERED UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS DURING A PROCEDURE TURN WHICH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BANK EXCESSIVELY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PLT THOUGHT THE AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE ENCOUNTERED A 'WHIRLWIND.' A WITNESS ON THE GROUND THOUGHT IT HAD ENCOUNTERED A GUST.
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: 2,276 hours in all; 672 in this make and model; 411 in the last 90 days; 2,193 as pilot in command; 127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,265 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1985; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D-23 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AG Mcadoo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.