Cessna A188B accident near Bascom, Florida, September 10, 1985
On September 10, 1985 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N9742G, was destroyed in an accident near Bascom, 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
- September 10, 1985 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bascom, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9742G · no longer on the register · serial 18801583T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A PECAN TREE DURING A SPRAY OPERATION THE PLT SAID HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ATTENTIVE TO THE OPERATION OF THE ACFT AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
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: 1,160 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,089 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,678 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1985; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,333 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 10-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Malone FL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Malone FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from DHN, 27 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.