Cessna T188C accident near St. Augustine, Florida, April 1, 1983
On April 1, 1983 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N2541J, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1983 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2541J · no longer on the register · serial 03477T
- 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 PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD JUST COMPLETED EAST TO WEST SWATH RUNS & TURNED TOWARD THE SUN TO TRIM THE EAST SIDE OF THE FIELD. ALSO, HE REPORTED THAT HIS WINDSHIELD WAS COVERED WITH SPRAY MIST WHICH RESTRICTED HIS VISIBILITY. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE DID NOT SEE HOW CLOSE HE WAS TO A POWER LINE. THE RIGHT WING OF THE ACFT STRUCK THE POWER LINE & THE ACFT CRASHED.
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: 10,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 8,510 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,811 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1983; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: St. Augustine
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
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.