Cessna 188B accident near Lodi, California, June 24, 1985
On June 24, 1985 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N9966J, was destroyed in an accident near Lodi, 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
- June 24, 1985 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lodi, California · 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
- N9966J · no longer on the register · serial 18803895
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON JUNE 24, 1985, AT 0520 HOURS PDT, A CESSNA AG TRUCK 188B, N9966J, REGISTERED TO JAMES L. THOMAS AND OPERATED BY AG- FLIGHT, INC. COLLIDED WITH THE BRIM OF AN IRRIGATION CANAL DURING TAKE-OFF FROM THE THOMAS RANCH STRIP AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A FIELD BEYOND THE CANAL WHILE ON A FLIGHT TO APPLY SULFER ON A LOCAL VINEYARD. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY CRASH IMPACT FORCES AND FIRE FROM THE BURNING SULFER CARRIED WITHIN THE AIRCRAFT AND THE CERTIFICATED ATP PILOT SUFFERED MINOR INJURY TO HIS EYES FROM THE BURNING SULFER. THE PILOT STATES THAT ALL NORMAL PREFLIGHT OPERATIONS WERE CONDUCTED PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT TAKEOFF WITH NO ABNORMAL INDICATION THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLOWER THAN NORMAL WITH SLUGGISH ACCELERATION. AT LIFT OFF, THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A NEAR STALL CONDITION BEFORE STRIKING THE CANAL BRIM.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,990 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 6,990 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-0 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 315° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.