Cessna A188B accident near Myakka City, Florida, April 30, 2002
On April 30, 2002, a Cessna A188B, registered N70213, was destroyed in an accident near Myakka City, Florida (Private airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering during an aerial application, subsequently resulting in impact with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2002
- Place
- Myakka City, Florida · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N70213 · no longer on the register · serial 18801868T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While maneuvering during an aerial application the airplane impacted into a swampy area. The airplane had been seeding for about 2.5 hours before the accident occurred. According to the pilot he was on the last leg of seeding a field after sunset had already occurred, and the next thing he knew he had flown into the ground and crashed. He said that there was nothing wrong with the airframe or engine. An examination of the airframe and engine, after the accident, revealed no discrepancies. In addition, at the time of the accident the airplane was without an annual inspection, and the pilot of N70213 did not have a current commercial pilot's certificate due to the fact that his medical certificate had expired. The pilot/operator was given an NTSB Pilot/Operator Accident Report Form 6120.1/2 by the FAA inspector, but a completed form was not received.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,073.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Maykka City FL at 9:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from SRQ, 45 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.