Cessna A188B accident near Enid, Oklahoma, January 12, 1996
On January 12, 1996 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4744Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Enid, Oklahoma. 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 sufficient airspeed during the forced landing and to jettison the aircraft's load for a forced landing. A factor was the engine's failure due to a disconnected fuel line which was the result of improper maintenance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1996 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Enid, Oklahoma
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4744Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802506T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was on its first flight since completion of maintenance. The aerial application flight had flown less than a mile from its takeoff point, when the engine lost power and the pilot executed a forced landing to a flat soft wheat field. It was also reported to the FAA inspector, that the pilot did not jettison the hopper load, which is part of the emergency landing without engine power procedures for that airplane. The pilot stated that 'when I attempted to flare to land, I lacked enough airspeed to fully stop the descent.' The airplane was structurally damaged during the hard bounced landing. Post impact inspection of the power plant revealed that the fuel line was disconnected from the flow divider.
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: 6,847 hours in all; 4,365 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 6,766 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1995; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carson Flying Service, INC
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:47 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from WDG, 15 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.