Cessna 188B accident near Fairfield, Nebraska, July 29, 1987
On July 29, 1987, a Cessna 188B, registered N2833J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairfield, Nebraska (Frager airport). 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 29, 1987
- Place
- Fairfield, Nebraska · Frager · 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
- N2833J · no longer on the register · serial 18803527T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT TURNED 180 DEGREES. TEMPERATURE WAS 95 DEGREES F AND DENSITY ALTITUDE 4000 FEET. THE PILOT STATED HE 'COULD HAVE DUMPED SOME OF THE LOAD SO THE AIRCRAFT COULD HAVE FLOWN OUT.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 4,965 hours in all; 2,194 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,965 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,640 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,550 ft by 11 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from GRI, 30 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.