Cessna 188B accident near Dixon, California, September 2, 1998
On September 2, 1998 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N202AW, was destroyed in an accident near Dixon, 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
A partial loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, and the ignition of a highly combustible compound in the application hopper.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1998 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dixon, 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
- N202AW · no longer on the register · serial 18800835
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane had flown the day before the accident flight with no discrepancies noted. This was the first flight of the day and the airplane was carrying a full load of sulfur for an application flight. After takeoff, the pilot made a turn to the left and experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot made a bank to the right to land in an open field. The airplane landed hard and bounced into the air. After the first bounce, the airplane was simultaneously on fire and rotating 180 degrees. The airplane struck the ground again and the pilot exited the airplane. The chemical manufacturer stated that the powdered sulfur dust compound used in aerial application operations was considered a moderate fire hazard. The airplane was destroyed by a post impact fire.
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
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 1,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,853 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 24, 1998; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CA at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from SAC, 15 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.