Cessna A188A accident near Decatur, Texas, May 15, 1993
On May 15, 1993 at about 4:42 pm local time, a Cessna A188A, registered N9901G, was destroyed in an accident near Decatur, Texas. 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE. A FACTOR WAS THE TURBULENCE
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1993 · about 4:42 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188A · all A188As on the register
- Registration
- N9901G · no longer on the register · serial 18800701
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING SEVERAL PASSES DISPENSING HERBICIDE, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A TREE AT ONE END OF THE FIELD. BECAUSE HE WAS FLYING UNDER POWER LINES, HE WAS UNABLE TO PULL UP OVER THE TREE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB SLIGHTLY AND BANKED RIGHT TO GET THE LEFT WING OVER THE TREE. HE SAID THAT THE AIRPLANE INITIALLY BANKED TO THE RIGHT, BUT THEN LEVELED WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TREE AND THE PILOT LOST CONTROL. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,492 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 9,425 as pilot in command; 6,924 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,847 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 1993; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Justin TX at 3:00 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from FTW, 46 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.