Cessna 188B accident near Planada, California, March 25, 2004
On March 25, 2004 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N478Q, was destroyed in an accident near Planada, California (Chowchilla airport). 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 partial loss of engine power due to the separation of the number 5 cylinder fuel injector supply line. The fuel line separation was due to company maintenance personnel's failure to secure the b-nut fitting following maintenance. Factors in the accident were the unsuitable nature of the terrain where the engine problem developed and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while attempting to reach a suitable forced landing spot, which led to an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2004 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Planada, California · Chowchilla · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N478Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802315T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power and impacted flat terrain while maneuvering over farm fields. The pilot was applying fertilizer to an agriculture field. He was in a climbing turn, about 150 feet above ground level (agl), when he felt the airplane shake as if it was approaching a stall. He advanced the throttle. The engine did not sound normal, and the airplane was not able to maintain altitude. He was over an orchard and directed the airplane towards one of the fields he was working. The pilot said he was over that field, fighting the stall buffet, when the airplane gave up flying, spun over to the right inverted, and nosed down to the ground 50 feet below. The pilot exited, and the airplane was subjected to a post impact fire. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed a post accident examination of the airplane's engine at the operator's facility. He reported that the engine was a Continental IO-520-D that had folded under the wreckage against the ground, which provided protection from the post accident fire. Extensive heat damage was identified around cylinder number 5, which included local melting of the aluminum around the rocker cover and intake manifold. The number 5 cylinder fuel injector line was free of the fuel injector nozzle. The number 5 cylinder injector fuel line b-nut was found to be only finger tight. Examination of the airplane's maintenance logbook revealed that the engine oil cooler had been removed and replaced on March 12, 2004, approximately 36 flight hours prior to the accident. The FAA inspector said that a common practice used by mechanics was to move or adjust the number 5 cylinder fuel injector line in order to install or uninstall the engine oil cooler.
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: 459 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 389 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,330 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2004; 116 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: T-Craft Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: K2O6 Chowchilla CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: K2O6
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KMCE, 5 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.