Cessna A188B accident near Macon, Mississippi, February 20, 1988
On February 20, 1988 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4489Q, was destroyed in an accident near Macon, Mississippi (Macon Municipal airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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
- February 20, 1988 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Macon, Mississippi · Macon Municipal · 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
- N4489Q · no longer on the register · serial 18800889
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE LEFT LNDG GEAR FAILED CAUSING THE ACFT TO SWERVE OFF THE RWY & INTO A DITCH BORDERING THE RWY. AN EXAM BY FAA PERSONNEL REVEALED TIRE MARKS ON THE RWY WHICH CONTINUED OFF THE RWY & INTO THE DITCH. ACCORDING TO THE FAA, THE GEAR FAILED DUE TO EXCESSIVE SIDE OVERLOAD & IMPACT WITH THE DITCH.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,500 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 16,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from CBM, 30 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.