Cessna A188B accident near Plains, Kansas, August 12, 1984
On August 12, 1984 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N4906Q, was destroyed in an accident near Plains, Kansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 12, 1984 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Plains, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4906Q · no longer on the register · serial 18802641T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TALL CROP DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF FROM A DIRT ROAD. THE ACFT HAD FAILED TO BECOME AIRBORNE ON ANOTHER ROAD AFTER ABOUT 2600 FT OF RUN AND THE ATTEMPT WAS ABORTED. THIS TAKEOFF RUN WAS ABOUT 2800 FT ACCORDING TO THE PLT. THE PLT HAD TRIED THESE TWO DIFFERENT ROADS BECAUSE THE ONE HE HAD BEEN USING WAS USED BY HIS CO-WORKER AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF DUST WAS STILL IN THE AIR FROM THE PROP WASH. HE RECOMMENDED TO NOT BE IN SUCH A HURRY OR USE THE DUMP GATE. HE ALSO THOUGHT HIS 3 BLADED PROP DEGRADED HIS TAKEOFF ACCELERATION. THE ACFT NOSED OVER AFTER THE GROUND LOOP.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 11,534 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,299 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 23, 1984
- 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 9, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.