Cessna A188B accident near New Taiton, Texas, June 17, 1987
On June 17, 1987 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N731XQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Taiton, Texas (Private Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 17, 1987 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- New Taiton, Texas · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731XQ · no longer on the register · serial 18803241T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS OBSERVED DEPARTING ON RWY 35 OF A 4,250' PVT AG STRIP AFTER HAVING BEEN LOADED TO NEAR CAPACITY WITH 46% NITROGEN FERTILIZER. ACFT LIFTED OFF, CROSSED A FENCE PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND STRUCK A FENCE THAT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE NORTH END OF THE RWY. AFTER STRIKING THE FENCE, ACFT SETTLED TO THE GRND IN AN ADJACENT PASTURE. THE ACFT'S RT WING STRUCK AND RODE UP OVER A LAND PLANE. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY STRUCK A SERIES OF RICE HARROWS THAT WERE SUPPORTED BY A BARREL, FLIPPED OVER AND SLID TO A STOP INVERTED. PLT RECEIVED SERIOUS HEAD AND NECK INJURIES. HIS SHOULDER HARNESS SUPPORT MOUNT SEPARATED AND EXHIBITED EXTENSIVE CORROSION. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT CORROSION HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY TREATED. DATA INDICATED THAT THE ACFT DEPARTED WITH A 11 KNOT TAIL WIND ON GRASS STRIP WHICH INCREASED THE T/O ROLL BY 65% OR APPROX 1,000 TO 2,235'. PLT INITIATED DUMPING AFTER LIFT OFF AT MID-FIELD.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,868 hours in all; 3,148 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,953 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1987; 175 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE New Taiton TX at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,250 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from VCT, 50 miles away
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.