Cessna A188B accident near Lake Village, Arkansas, May 21, 1987
On May 21, 1987 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N731YU, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Village, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. 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
- May 21, 1987 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Village, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731YU · no longer on the register · serial 18803269T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING SEVERAL SPARY SWATHS, THE PILOT BEGAN ANOTHER TURN FOR ANOTHER SPRAY SWATH. A WITNESS STATED THAT DURING THIS RIGHT TURN, THE AIRCRAFT INITIATED A LEFT DESCENDING TURN AND CRASHED INTO NEARBY TREES AND THEN BURNED. EXAMINATION FOUND NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH EITHER AIRFRAME OR POWER PLANT. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE INDICATED THAT THE PROPELLER WAS TURNING AT A LOW RPM.
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: 437 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 334 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO520D-32 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MLS Lake Village AR at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from LIT, 80 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.