- Date
- October 31, 1996, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Ocilla, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N731BQCessna 188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961031034929A
- Case key
- 3805
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 pilot's failure to adequately preflight and plan the fuel required for the flight.
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
The pilot experienced a complete loss of engine power as he maneuvered for a swath run. The pilot selected a cotton field adjacent to the field that he was spraying for the forced landing. The examination of the airframe and the engine assembly failed to disclose a mechanical problem. No fuel was recovered from the aircraft fuel system; however, the fuel bladder was damaged and a small quantity of fuel was reportedly spilled in the bottom of the wing assembly. According to the Cessna 188B flight manual, two gallons of fuel are unusable in the aircraft fuel system. During a functional check of the engine assembly, the engine started and operated normally.
Factual narrative
On October 31, 1996, at 1150 eastern standard time, a Cessna 188B, N731BQ, collided with the ground during a forced landing attempt near Ocilla, Georgia. The aerial application flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 137 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the commercial rated pilot was not injured. The flight departed a private airstrip in Ocilla, at 1130.
According to the pilot, he experienced a complete loss of engine power as he maneuvered for a swath run. The pilot selected a cotton field adjacent to the field that he was spraying, and attempted a forced landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the emergency landing.
The examination of the airframe and the engine assembly failed to disclose a mechanical problem. No fuel was recovered from the aircraft fuel system; however, the fuel bladder was damaged and a small quantity of fuel was reportedly spilled in the bottom of the wing assembly. According to the Cessna 188B flight manual, two gallons of fuel are unusable in the aircraft fuel system. During a functional check of the engine assembly, the engine started and operated normally.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731BQ
- Reported as
- Cessna 188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18802771T
- Airframe hours
- 3,968
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Ronald L. Harper
- Registered owner
- Charles C. Timmons
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 3, 1996 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 12,450 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 269° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AMG, 40 nm away
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 N731BQ · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.