Cessna 188 accident near Benson, North Carolina, July 28, 1997
On July 28, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N53240, was destroyed in an accident near Benson, North Carolina. 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 failure to maintain a visual lookout during a swath run resulting in an in-flight collision with a cable, subsequent loss of engine power, forced landing, and an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was a total loss of engine power due to the separation of the gascolator (wire strike) resulting in fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Benson, North Carolina · 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
- N53240 · no longer on the register · serial 18801703T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was making a swath run and collided with a cable separating the engine gascolator resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, forced landing and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. Examination of the engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction.
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: 2,396 hours in all; 1,704 in this make and model; 2,364 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 37W Erwin NC at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 28 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from RDU, 35 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.