Cessna 188 accident near Jonesboro, Arkansas, July 21, 1986
On July 21, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N4483Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jonesboro, 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
- July 21, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jonesboro, Arkansas · 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
- N4483Q · no longer on the register · serial 18800883
- 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 ACFT WAS ENGAGED IN SPRAYING A RICE FIELD WHEN, ACCORDING TO THE PLT, A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. DUE TO THE LACK OF FUEL WHICH HE OBSERVED AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT OWNER STATED HE BELIEVED THE PLT RAN OUT OF FUEL. A POST ACCIDENT ENGINE RUN WAS SUCCESSFUL AND NO MECHANICAL DESCREPANCIES WERE 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,463 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 241 in the last 90 days; 2,335 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,585 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake City AR at 2:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from JBR, 5 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.