Cessna T188C accident near Rayville, Louisiana, July 2, 1987
On July 2, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N3239J, was destroyed in an accident near Rayville, Louisiana (Brown'S Strip 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
- July 2, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Rayville, Louisiana · Brown'S Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3239J · registry record · serial T18803620T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD TO TAKE OFF EASTBOUND DUE TO OBSTRUCTIONS AT THE WEST END OF THE STRIP. THE SIX TO EIGHT KNOT WIND WAS VARIABLE FROM A RIGHT CROSSWIND TO A SLIGHT TAILWIND. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT'S WEIGHT EXCEEDED THAT ESTABLISHED BY THE MANUFACTURER. LIFTOFF WAS ACHIEVED BUT THE AIRCRAFT STARTED SETTLING AS SOON AS IT CLIMBED OUT OF GROUND EFFECT. THE DESCENT WAS ARRESTED BUT CLIMB COULD NOT BE RE-ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED HIGH VEGETATION BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. TOUCHDOWN WAS ON ROUGH TERRAIN. A COMBINATION OF HIGH VEGETATION AND ROUGH TERRAIN CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE DOWN BEFORE IT STOPPED.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,921 hours in all; 1,258 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days; 2,921 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 1987; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO520T (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N3239J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.