Cessna 188 accident near Canton, Mississippi, August 5, 1989
On August 5, 1989 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N21895, was substantially damaged in an accident near Canton, Mississippi. 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 PILOT'S ATTEMPTED FLIGHT IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PRESENCE OF THE PARKED AIRCRAFT NEAR THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1989 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N21895 · no longer on the register · serial 18801106
- 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 RPRTD THAT WHILE TAKING OFF (NORTH), THE ACFT ROLLED ABOUT 400 TO 500 FT, THEN ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND & VEERED LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT COLLIDED WITH AN UNOCCUPIED ACFT THAT WAS PARKED ABOUT 50 FT FROM THE EDGE OF THE RWY. AT THAT TIME, A THUNDERSTORM CELL WAS LOCATED NEARBY. THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS FROM 260 DEG A 15 GUSTING 18 KTS.
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: 7,100 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from JAN, 18 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.