Cessna 188B accident near Hugoton, Kansas, August 2, 1986
On August 2, 1986 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N9379G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hugoton, Kansas. 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 2, 1986 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hugoton, Kansas · 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
- N9379G · no longer on the register · serial 18801465
- 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 PIC STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING LOW AND SLOW IN AN ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE AN ACFT THAT HAD JUST CRASHED IN AN OPEN FLD OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY AT HUGOTON. THE ACFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO ROLL LEFT AND DESCEND AND IMPACT THE GND ABOUT 1/4 MILE BEYOND WHERE THE ALREADY DOWNED AG ACFT WAS SPOTTED. THE PIC STATED HE HAD NO MECHANICAL PBLM WITH THE ACFT DURING ANY PART OF THIS DEPARTURE.
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: 14,900 hours in all; 3,001 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1985; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Hogoton KS at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from GCK, 41 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.