Cessna 188B accident near Lake Village, Arkansas, March 22, 1984
On March 22, 1984 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N9541J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Village, Arkansas. 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
- March 22, 1984 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Village, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9541J · no longer on the register · serial 18803819T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE ACFT BEGAN TO ROTATE DURING TAKEOFF ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS THROWN 1000 FT BEHIND THE ACFT. THE REMAINING BLADE AND HUB BECAME UNBALANCED, TWISTING THE ENGINE AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. PLT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. ACFT TRAVELED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY AND CARTWHEELED. INSPECTION REVEALED PROPELLER BLADE BROKE APRX 2 INCHES OUTBOARD OF THE HUB. METALLURGICAL TESTS REVEALED NUMEROUS FATIGUE ORIGANS ON BOTH THE BLADE BUTT ENDS AT ITS SEPARATION POINTS AND IN THE PROPELLER ATTACHMENT ON THE FACE OF THE HUB. THE PROPELLER BLADE MOUNTING WHICH ATTACHES TO THE ENGINE HAD BROKEN OUT BETWEEN TWO STUD HOLES. THIS AREA SHOWS FATIGUE AS WELL AS DEFORMATION OF THE MOUNTING SURFACE.
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: 3,100 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1984; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: 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.
Other NTSB records under N9541J 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.