# Accident 19970802029289A: Cessna A188A, Norfolk, NE, August 2, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 2, 1997, 20:30 local time
- Place: Norfolk, NE
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 42.0296° N, 97.4103° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.0296&lon=-97.4103&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9902G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9902G-2013-08-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna A188A (registry code 2073008, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA A188A
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO520*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 411 total, 47 in this make and model, 107 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97LA235](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA235) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970802029289A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.19) ON AUGUST 2, 1997, AT 2030 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA A188A, N9902G, OPERATED BY DALE'S FLYING SERVICE, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING A 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT IN NORFOLK, NEBRASKA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM NORFOLK, NEBRASKA, AT APPROXIMATELY 2015 CDT. (.4) THE PILOT HAD FOLLOWED ANOTHER HEAVILY LOADED CESSNA 188 OUT TO THE FIELD WHICH HE WAS TO SPRAY. HE DID NOT KNOW THE OTHER AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT PATH, AS IT DEPARTED THE AREA UPON REACHING THE FIELD. THE PILOT MADE ONE SWATH RUN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE FIELD PRIOR TO MAKING A 270 DEGREE TURN AND LINING UP TO MAKE THE SECOND SWATH RUN FROM EAST TO WEST ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FIELD. HE REPORTED THAT AFTER LEVELING OFF ABOUT FOUR FEET ABOVE THE FIELD, THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY ENCOUNTERED 'BAD AIR' AT WHICH TIME IT SETTLED TO IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT LATER DISCOVERED THAT THIS SECOND SWATH RUN WAS PERPENDICULAR THROUGH THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI97LA235](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA235), Aug 3, 1997: Cessna A188A (N9902G), Norfolk, NE, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, and failure or inability to control the airplane after encountering wake turbulence at low altitude during an aerial application maneuver. A related…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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