Cessna 188 accident near Needles, California, November 7, 1983
On November 7, 1983 at about 2:50 am local time, a Cessna 188, registered N9302K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Needles, California. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1983 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Needles, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N9302K · no longer on the register · serial 03929T
- 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 PLT REPORTED THAT HE TOOK OFF APRX 10 TO 15 MIN AFTER SUNSET ON AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLT. DURING A TURN TO BEGIN A SWATH RUN, HE NOTICED AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN DRIFT. AS HE WAS DESCENDING BELOW THE LEVEL OF NEARBY POWER LINES, THERE WAS A LOSS OF INDICATED AIRSPEED & THE ACFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE GEAR STRUCK THE LIP OF A RAISED CONCRETE IRRIGATION DITCH & THE ACFT CRASHED. THE PLT REPORTED INDICATIONS OF A TEMPERATURE INVERSION & WIND SHEAR NEAR THE SURFACE. REPORTEDLY, THE ENG WAS OPERATING NORMALLY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 969 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 7,074 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 474 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1983; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.