Cessna A188B accident near Ringling, Montana, September 9, 1993
On September 9, 1993 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N731ED, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ringling, Montana (Higgins Airstrip 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1993 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ringling, Montana · Higgins Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731ED · no longer on the register · serial 18802831T
- 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 AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF AT THE END OF THE STRIP AND WAS FLOWN CLOSE TO THE GROUND IN ORDER TO FLY UNDER A SET OF POWER LINES NEAR THE END OF THE AIRSTRIP. THE AIRPLANE CLEARED THE POWER LINES, THEN SETTLED TO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN FOR A BRIEF TIME, THEN BECAME AIRBORNE. THE PILOT DUMPED THE LOAD OF CHEMICAL AS THE AIRPLANE TRAVELLED A SHORT DISTANCE BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN AGAIN AND COLLIDING WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE. THE AIRPLANE THEN CAME TO REST IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,625 hours in all; 2,278 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,427 as pilot in command; 66 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,113 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1993; 230 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D23 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N731ED the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.