Cessna T188C accident near Winton, California, February 10, 1994
On February 10, 1994 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N2086J, was destroyed in an accident near Winton, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a partial loss of engine power in the takeoff initial climb due to fuel system contamination, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1994 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Winton, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2086J · registry record · serial T18803376T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- 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 aircraft was lightly loaded; yet, after takeoff, it flew and climbed sluggishly. The pilot said he remained in ground effect in an effort to pick up airspeed, but the aircraft failed to respond. The pilot began to dump his load of chemicals to effect a recovery; however, the aircraft continued to settle, touched down in a field, and collided with a tree. The pilot noted that he did not think the engine was producing full rated power. The aircraft and engine were examined by an FAA airworthiness inspector, who reported finding no apparent internal engine failure. All spark plugs displayed excessive black soot deposits on the electrodes. An unidentified contaminant was found throughout the fuel system.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N2086J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX94LA119.