Cessna A188B accident near Inverness, Mississippi, July 4, 2000
On July 4, 2000, a Cessna A188B, registered N731SP, was destroyed in an accident near Inverness, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while reversing course during an aerial application flight resulting in the aircraft stalling, descending, impacting a tree, and crashing to the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2000
- Place
- Inverness, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731SP · registry record · serial 18803121
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Smoke was observed from the area the flight was spraying about 10 minutes after the flight departed. Examination of the crash site by an FAA inspector showed the aircraft had stalled while reversing course and impacted a tree about 25 feet above the ground. The left wing and gear separated from the aircraft and it nosed down and crashed into the ground where it came to rest inverted. A post crash fire erupted and destroyed the aircraft. The pilot died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident, 7 days after the accident. Postcrash examination of the aircraft and engine by an FAA inspector showed no evidence of precrash mechanical failure or malfunction.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 2000; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from GWO, 25 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.