- Date
- August 13, 1991, 19:50 local (Aug 14, 1991, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Gothenburg, NE
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4820QCessna A188D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910813033939A
- Case key
- 14805
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 maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. A factor related to the accident was the pilot's abrupt handling of the airplane.
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 airplane impacted the ground as it completed a turn to reverse direction after an aerial application swath run. Witnesses described several steep, 'aggressive' turns, and extreme nose high pitch attitudes during the flight prior to the accident. They reported the pilot was 'doing hammerheads while spraying...' And 'flying like a stunt pilot.' Ground flagmen assisting with the aerial application were in radio communication with the pilot. The pilot told them the airplane stalled during the previous turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4820Q
- Reported as
- Cessna A188D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18802557T
- Engine
- Continental I0-520D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Fiese, Larry J, doing business as Gothenburg Fliying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 7,486 total · 253 in this make and model · 231 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBF, 28 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.