Cessna A188 accident near Appleton City, Missouri, June 18, 1982
On June 18, 1982 at about 11:33 am local time, a Cessna A188, registered N3503Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Appleton City, Missouri. 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 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
- June 18, 1982 · about 11:33 am local time
- Place
- Appleton City, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188 · all A188s on the register
- Registration
- N3503Q · no longer on the register · serial 188-0453
- 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 PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON A CROWNED, ASPHALT, FARM ROAD WHILE REPOSITIONING THE AIRCRAFT FOR AN AGRICULTURAL OPERATION. HE REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT PULLED TO THE LEFT AND THE LEFT WING ENTERED HIGH WEEDS. HE SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE SWERVE BY USING RIGHT RUDDER AND BRAKE. THE PILOT THEN APPLIED FULL POWER IN AN EFFORT TO GO OVER A FENCE, BUT THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE FENCE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,918 hours in all; 362 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,875 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 157 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: Appleton City MO at 6:30 am
- Destination: Appleton City MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.