Cessna A188B accident near Winona, Mississippi, September 3, 1996
On September 3, 1996 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N53109, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winona, 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
improper maintenance of the airplane by the unqualified pilot/owner, by providing inadequate clearance between a flexible oil hose and a heat shield, which resulted in chafing of the hose, an oil leak, and subsequent oil starvation. A factor relating to the accident was: rough terrain in the emergency landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1996 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winona, Mississippi · 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
- N53109 · no longer on the register · serial 18801628T
- 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 airplane owner/pilot stated that after completion of an aerial application flight, while returning to reload, he noticed smoke in the cockpit, then the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing in a cotton field. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear wheel separated after contact with a depression. Examination of the airplane at the accident site revealed oil on the fuselage and in the engine compartment area. The oil had come from a hole in a flexible hose that was connected to the outlet of the oil cooler. The hole was adjacent to a heat shield. The owner/pilot, who was not an A & P mechanic, had performed repairs to a baffle in the engine compartment area about 2 to 3 weeks before the accident. After the repair, there was insufficient clearance between the flexible oil hose and the heat shield.
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: 5,800 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 5,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,372 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1996; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from GWO
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.