Cessna A-188B accident near Elmira, California, February 23, 1995
On February 23, 1995 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna A-188B, registered N731CZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elmira, 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft after an inadvertent encounter with the wake turbulence from a preceding agricultural aircraft while maneuvering at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1995 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Elmira, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A-188B · all A-188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731CZ · no longer on the register · serial 18802803T
- 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 COMPLETED HIS SECOND SWATH RUN AND ROLLED INTO A 90-270 DEGREE TURN AT ABOUT 100-FEET AGL. AFTER ROLLING FROM THE LEFT BACK TO THE RIGHT, HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTER AN AREA OF TURBULENT AIR. BELIEVING THAT HE HAD INADVERTENTLY FLOWN ACROSS THE VORTEX TURBULENCE GENERATED BY ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA, HE SAID THE TURBULENCE CAUSED HIS AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND AND THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED THE GROUND BEFORE HE COULD REACT AND RECOVER. THE PILOT STATED, THAT AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT, THE AIRCRAFT'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,700 POUNDS.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,294 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 177 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days; 1,223 as pilot in command; 471 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,757 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 29, 1994; 189 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from SUU, 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.