- Date
- October 5, 1989, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hartsville, SC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N21897Cessna 188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891005038869A
- Case key
- 8091
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate in-flight clearance from obstacles.
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.
Analysis
After completion of aerial application to a cotton field, the pilot made a left climbing turn to a southerly course. The airplane was then climbed to about 400 feet. At a position abeam of the approach end of the field which had been sprayed, about 1/4 mile west of the field, the airplane struck a support guy wire for a television broadcast antenna. Examination of the wreckage revealed markings on the propeller & left wing which were indicative of a collision with a cable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21897
- Reported as
- Cessna 188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18801107
- Airframe hours
- 3,369
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Wade D. Langston, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 30, 1989 · 234 hours before
- Departed
- 58J · Timmonsville, SC
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
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.