Cessna T188C accident near Roscoe, Texas, September 26, 1994
On September 26, 1994 at about 6:42 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N3106J, was destroyed in an accident near Roscoe, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED RESULTING IN AN AERODYNAMIC STALL. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1994 · about 6:42 pm local time
- Place
- Roscoe, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3106J · no longer on the register · serial T18803604T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES SAID THE AIRPLANE COMPLETED ITS THIRD SWATH RUN AND WAS FLYING SLOWLY AS IT APPROACHED SOME POWER LINES. THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN TO PULL UP AND ENTER WHAT APPEARED TO WITNESSES TO BE A HAMMERHEAD STALL. THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND AND CAUGHT FIRE. THIS WAS THE PILOT'S FIFTH SPRAYING JOB, AND HE HAD APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS AS AN AERIAL APPLICATOR, ALL OF WHICH WAS IN THE AIRPLANE MAKE AND MODEL. HE HAD APPLIED FOR, BUT HAD NOT YET BEEN ISSUED, AN FAA AGRICULTURAL AIRCRAFT OPERATOR CERTIFICATE.
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: 452 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 10 in the last 30 days; 410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,875 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-T1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from DYS, 37 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.