Cessna A188B accident near Dalton, Nebraska, May 11, 1988
On May 11, 1988 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N70135, was destroyed in an accident near Dalton, Nebraska. 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
- May 11, 1988 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Dalton, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N70135 · registry record · serial 18801844T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING A LARGE FIELD WHICH HAD A POWER LINE ALONG THE NORTH SIDE. ON THE 1ST COUPLE OF PASSES, THE SPRAY EQUIPMENT HAD INTERMITTENT MALFUNCTIONS. AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE FIELD FROM NORTH FOR THE 4TH PASS, IT STRUCK THE UPPER CABLE OF THE POWER LINE, THEN CRASHED IN THE FIELD. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT & A WITNESS, THE WINDS WERE VARIABLE WITH WHIRLWIND ACTIVITY IN THE AREA.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,741 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 8,473 as pilot in command; 2,694 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,756 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 29, 1988; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNY Sidney NE at 6:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from SNY, 23 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.