Cessna A188B accident near Pelham, Georgia, July 28, 2001
On July 28, 2001 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N8358G, was involved in an accident near Pelham, Georgia (Flynt Crop Dusting Service airport). 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 ground refueler's inadequate visual lookout resulting in his walking into the rotating propeller of the airplane and receiving fatal injuries.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2001 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Pelham, Georgia · Flynt Crop Dusting Service · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8358G · no longer on the register · serial 18801299T
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he had landed and turned around in the parking area to be refueled and loaded with chemical for aerial application. He kept the engine running. Another airplane landed after him, turned around, and parked about 15-20 feet in front of him. The ground refueler added fuel to the left wing tank of the first airplane and then proceeded to add fuel to the right wing tank of his airplane. After adding fuel, the ground refueler replaced the fuel cap and then turned to his right toward the airplane. As he walked forward he was struck by the propeller. Postmortem toxicology tests on specimens from the refueler were negative for ethanol and drugs. The pilot stated the ground refueler had worked at the company for about 4 days, and had received training in ground operations and safety.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Cont IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pelham GA at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from VLD, 50 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.