Cessna T188C accident near Near Traer, Iowa, August 17, 1982
On August 17, 1982 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N9975J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Traer, Iowa. 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
- August 17, 1982 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Near Traer, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9975J · no longer on the register · serial T18803904T
- 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 FAILED TO REFUEL DURING THE LAST LOADING, AND SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING TO THE SPRAY AREA, THE ENGINE QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN AN ALFALA FIELD DURING WHICH THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE TANKS AND NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS FOUND.
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: 5,043 hours in all; 2,750 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 4,886 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-T (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Laverty Sprayers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Near Traer IA at 1:50 pm
- Destination: Near Traer IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 165°F (74°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.
Other NTSB records under N9975J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.