Cessna A188 accident near Burleson, Texas, October 15, 1993
On October 15, 1993 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188, registered N8020V, was destroyed in an accident near Burleson, Texas (Ft. Worth Spinks Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A STALL. A FACTOR WAS HIS ABRUPT MANEUVERING OF THE AIRPLANE AT LOW ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1993 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Burleson, Texas · Ft. Worth Spinks Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 · all A188s on the register
- Registration
- N8020V · no longer on the register · serial 188-0270
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MISSED THE BANNER PICKUP ON THE FIRST PASS. HE STATED THAT AS HE TURNED DOWNWIND IN A 60 DEGREE BANK, HE APPLIED 'HARD LEFT RUDDER' TO CHECK THE GRAPPLE FOR TANGLES AND THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STALL. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ANGLE OF BANK WAS 90 DEGREES AND THE ALTITUDE WAS LESS THAN 100 FEET AGL. THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ROLL BACK WINGS LEVEL, THEN ENTER A RIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE UNTIL IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT ENGINE POWER LOSS WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,530 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,351 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,742 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 3, 1993; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FWS at 10:20 pm
- Destination: FWS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:59 pm from FWS, 20 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.