# NTSB CEN10LA418: Cessna A188B, N5855G, Clyde, OH, July 19, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 19, 2010, 18:15 local (22:15 UTC) - Place: Clyde, OH - Coordinates: 41.418334, -83.017219 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4183&lon=-83.0172&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report April 7, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna Aircraft Company, Teledyne Continental Motors - NTSB case key (mKey): 76704 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN10LA418 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76704/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76704 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10LA418 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a grain auger during aerial application maneuvers. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna A188B, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=2073005), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna A188B, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=2073005), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna A188B, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md?model=2073005), [All aircraft, 780 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was on his fourth spray pass of the aerial application flight when the airplane impacted a grain auger and terrain. The grain auger, approximately 30 feet in height, was located adjacent to the field next to a round farm building and was displaced approximately 160 feet during the accident. The pilot reported no recollection of the accident. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative On July 19, 2010, approximately 1815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A188B single-engine airplane, N5855G, sustained substantial damage when it impacted farm equipment and terrain near Clyde, Ohio. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Gibbs Aero Spray, Inc., Fremont, Ohio. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight departed approximately 1745. According to the operator, the pilot was on his fourth spray pass of the aerial application flight when the airplane impacted a grain auger with its left wing. The grain auger, approximately 30 feet in height, was located adjacent to the field next to a round farm building and was displaced approximately 160 feet during the accident. The airplane came to rest upright and the pilot exited the airplane. The pilot stated to a witness who responded to the accident that the airplane engine lost power. During a telephone conversation with the pilot on September 23, 2010, the pilot stated he had no recollection of the accident. He was told by company personnel that he began flying on the day of the accident at 0700 and had a 30 minute lunch break. Examination of the airplane revealed the left wing was bent and twisted, the fuselage was fragmented, and the right wing was bent. The crankshaft flange and propeller assembly were separated from the engine and came to rest in the between the grain auger and main wreckage. The engine was retained for further examination. According to the engine maintenance records, the engine underwent its most recent annual inspection on March 15, 2010, at a total time of 654 hours since major overhaul. The engine had accumulated 854.8 hours since major overhaul at the time of the accident. On September 23, 2010, at the facilities of Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM), Mobile, Alabama, the IO-520-D (serial number 281247) engine was examined by the Safety Board investigator-in-charge, and representatives from TCM and Cessna Aircraft Company. Examination and disassembly of the engine revealed did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower. Examination of the crankshaft flange fracture surfaces displayed 45-degree shear lips that were consistent with a torsional overload failure. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5855G](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5855G-2015-05-19), registration cancelled 2015-05-19, S/N 18801156, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA A188B - Registry model: [Cessna A188B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188b) (registry code 2073005) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18801156 - Airframe hours: 2985 - Engines: CONT MOTOR IO-520-D 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Gibbs Aero Spray Inc - Registered owner: Gibbs Aero Spray Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, March 15, 2010, 200 hours before - Departed: 03OH, Fremont, OH - Destination: 03OH, Fremont, OH ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 24; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review October 1, 2008; seat: single; flight hours: 1,580 total, 1,129 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100719044589A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100719044589A), Jul 19, 2010: Cessna A188B, Clyde, OH, Destroyed. During a spray operation pilot remembers a loss of power and adding full throttle but did not get any response. That is all that he remembers. The aircraft… ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76704. 3.3 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 475 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338366&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Excerpts of Engine Maintenance Logbook (item 2, .PDF, 887 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338367&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20of%20Engine%20Maintenance%20Logbook-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (TCM) (item 3, .PDF, 131 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338368&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation%20(TCM)-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (Cessna) (item 4, .PDF, 65 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338369&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation%20(Cessna)-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1 View of Main Wreckage (provided by FAA) (item 5, .PDF, 85 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338371&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20View%20of%20Main%20Wreckage%20(provided%20by%20FAA)-Master.PDF - Photo 2 View of Grain Auger and Main Wreckage (provided by FAA) (item 6, .PDF, 84 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338372&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20View%20of%20Grain%20Auger%20and%20Main%20Wreckage%20(provided%20by%20FAA)-Master.PDF - Photo 3 View of Propeller (provided by FAA) (item 7, .PDF, 112 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338373&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20View%20of%20Propeller%20(provided%20by%20FAA)-Master.PDF - Photo 4 View of Crankshaft Flange fracture (provided by Cessna) (item 8, .PDF, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338374&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%20View%20of%20Crankshaft%20Flange%20fracture%20(provided%20by%20Cessna)-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.