20000703011639A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna A188B · Inverness, MS · July 3, 2000

Date
July 3, 2000 · 19:00 local
Place
Inverness, MS
Phase of flight
Low Level Operations
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
KYVG
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N731SP
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00LA202
Reported as
Cessna A188B
Reported engine
Continental IO520D
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
2,200 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) A/c was flying west along a tree line rolling out of a turn. It appears that the a/c stalled and decended into the trees with the left wing striking a tree at approx. 25 feet. The left wing separated from the a/c and then went into a steep nose down angle and hit the ground and flipped over on the top. The a/c caught fire and was destroyed. The pilot escaped, but has serious injuries due to 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Airman succumbed to his injuries in hospital and died. (.4)on July 3, 2000, about 1900 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N731SP, registered to and operated by choctaw flying service, inc., crashed while maneuvering near Inverness, Mississippi, while on a title 14 CFR part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot received fatal injuries. The flight originated from Inverness, Mississippi, the same day, about 1850. Representatives of the aircraft operator stated that the pilot had departed choctaw airport at about 1850, with 30 gallons of fuel and 5 gallons of agricultural chemical. The a ircraft crashed about 1900. Examination of the crash site by an FAA inspector showed the airplane was flying west along a treeline applying chemical to a cotton field. When the course was reversed the pilot stalled the aircraft in the turn then hitting a tree at about 25 feet. The aircraft's left wing and landing gear separated. The aircraft then turned nose down into the wooded area and impacted the ground where it went inverted. A postcrash fire erupted and destroyed the aircraft. The propeller had damage consistent with rotation at the time of the accident. The pilot died on July 10, 2000. Postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by Dr. Steven t. hayne, Mississippi state medical examiner's office. The cause of death was attributed to advanced thermal burn injuries with partial and full-thickness thermal burns of the external surfaces of the body, bronchopneumonia, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and acute tubular necrosis of the kidneys. No finding which could be considered causal to the accident were reported. No toxicology testing was performed on specimens from the pilot after the accident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A/C WAS FLYING WEST ALONG A TREE LINE ROLLING OUT OF A TURN. IT APPEARS THAT THE A/C STALLED AND DECENDED INTO THE TREES WITH THE LEFT WING STRIKING A TREE AT APPROX. 25 FEET. THE LEFT WING SEPARATED FROM THE A/C AND THEN WENT INTO A STEEP NOSE DOWN ANGLE AND HIT THE GROUND AND FLIPPED OVER ON THE TOP. THE A/C CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT ESCAPED, BUT HAS SERIOUS INJURIES DUE TO 2ND AND 3RD DEGREE BURNS. AIRMAN SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES IN HOSPITAL AND DIED. (.4)ON JULY 3, 2000, ABOUT 1900 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA A188B, N731SP, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY CHOCTAW FLYING SERVICE, INC., CRASHED WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR INVERNESS, MISSISSIPPI, WHILE ON A TITLE 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM INVERNESS, MISSISSIPPI, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1850. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AIRCRAFT OPERATOR STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD DEPARTED CHOCTAW AIRPORT AT ABOUT 1850, WITH 30 GALLONS OF FUEL AND 5 GALLONS OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL. THE A IRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 1900. EXAMINATION OF THE CRASH SITE BY AN FAA INSPECTOR SHOWED THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING WEST ALONG A TREELINE APPLYING CHEMICAL TO A COTTON FIELD. WHEN THE COURSE WAS REVERSED THE PILOT STALLED THE AIRCRAFT IN THE TURN THEN HITTING A TREE AT ABOUT 25 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING AND LANDING GEAR SEPARATED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN TURNED NOSE DOWN INTO THE WOODED AREA AND IMPACTED THE GROUND WHERE IT WENT INVERTED. A POSTCRASH FIRE ERUPTED AND DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT. THE PROPELLER HAD DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH ROTATION AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT DIED ON JULY 10, 2000. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT WAS PERFORMED BY DR. STEVEN T. HAYNE, MISSISSIPPI STATE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE. THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO ADVANCED THERMAL BURN INJURIES WITH PARTIAL AND FULL-THICKNESS THERMAL BURNS OF THE EXTERNAL SURFACES OF THE BODY, BRONCHOPNEUMONIA, ADULT RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME, AND ACUTE TUBULAR NECROSIS OF THE KIDNEYS. NO FINDING WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED CAUSAL TO THE ACCIDENT WERE REPORTED. NO TOXICOLOGY TESTING WAS PERFORMED ON SPECIMENS FROM THE PILOT AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.