- Date
- May 17, 1982, 13:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- West Point, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5522SCessna 188
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820517016639A
- Case key
- 73012
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The pilot took off with a 50 gal load of water to calibrate the spray system. He stated that during a swath run, he heard a loud noise or whirring sound and initially thought there was a spray pump propeller failure. Immediately, he pulled up, started a left turn to land, and began dumping the load. At the same time, he realized that he had lost power. The pilot was unable to reach the runway. Just prior to touchdown in a cut-over area, the left wing struck a stump and the plane crashed. The engine separated from the aircraft and came to rest partially submerged in a drainage ditch. The carburetor had separated and the throttle control had failed in tension. The mixture control push-pull wire was not attached to the carburetor. An examination of the mixture control wire attach end revealed no signs of tensile loading or scratches on the wire; the attaching hardware could not be found.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5522S
- Reported as
- Cessna 188
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 3,652
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Old Dominion Fertilizer
- Registered owner
- Old Dominion Fertilizer
- Departed
- W97 · West Point, VA
- Destination
- W97 · West Point, VA
- Airport
- W97 · West Point Virginia, runway 9, 3,700 × 0 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 895 total · 264 in this make and model · 120 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 185 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5522S · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.