# Accident 20200727010659A: Cessna A188B, Hartington, NE, July 27, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 27, 2020, 08:30 local time
- Place: Hartington, NE
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: PTNG
- Location: 42.6031° N, 97.2536° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6031&lon=-97.2536&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9278G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9278G-2022-02-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna A188B (registry code 2073005, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA A188B
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 2,221 total, 143 in this make and model, 170 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20CA331](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA331) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200727010659A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT OF THE AGRICULTURAL AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF ON RUNWAY 31 FROM THE HARTINGTON, NE AIRPORT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE WINDSHIELD BECAME COVERED IN OIL. THE OIL OBSCURED THE PILOTS VISION. THE PILOT STATED HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD NOT SECURED THE ENGINE OIL CAP AFTER COMPLETING AN ENGINE OIL CHANGE THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE PILOT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SINK AFTER THE TURN WAS INITIATED AND THE PILOT COULD NOT CONTROL THE SINK RATE. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A CORNFIELD SOUTHWEST OF THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. POST ACCIDENT THE ENGINE OIL FILLER CAP WAS FOUND UNSECURED HANGING FROM THE SAFETY CHAIN ATTACHING THE CAP TO THE ENGINE.

## 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 CEN20CA331](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA331), Jul 27, 2020: Cessna A188 (N9278G), Hartington, NE, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to ensure that the engine oil cap was installed before takeoff, which resulted in the oil obscuring the pilot’s view through the windshield and necessitated a forced landing on…

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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