Cessna 188B accident near Grygla, Minnesota, June 24, 1989
On June 24, 1989 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 188B, registered N4724R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grygla, Minnesota (Private Strip 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
INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION BY THE PILOT. TALL GRASS (HIGH VEGETATION) AT THE END OF THE STRIP WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 1989 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Grygla, Minnesota · Private Strip · 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
- N4724R · no longer on the register · serial 18802306T
- 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 COMMERCIAL PILOT SAID HE HAD USED THIS PVT STRIP ON THREE PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, AND THAT ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD ALREADY DISPENSED ABOUT 14 LOADS. ALSO, HE SAID THAT THE WIND HAD BECOME CALM, WHEREAS ON PREVIOUS TAKEOFFS, THERE WAS AN EXISTING WIND. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT CONTACTED TALL GRASS AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE STRIP. A SPRAY BOOM CAUGHT THE TALL GRASS, THEN THE ACFT SPUN AROUND AND WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT BELIEVED THAT IF THE GRASS AT THE END OF THE STRIP HAD BEEN MOWED, THE ACCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,230 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,099 as pilot in command; 1,070 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,651 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 1989; 135 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,650 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.