CHI97LA240

The pilot said that he had been spraying a field. As he was 'ferrying back [to the airport], smoke started coming into the cockpit.' The pilot, believing that there was a fire in the airplane, 'cut power and landed in [a] cornfield.' Examination of the airplane revealed no anomaly. The owner of the airplane spoke to the pilot following the accident. He said that the pilot may have activated the 'smoker' [a piece of equipment used to determine wind drift] on the airplane. During the conversation, the pilot told the owner that he might have inadvertently bumped the 'smoker' switch getting ready to land. The owner said that 'when you turn it [the smoker] on, you smell it. It smells like smoke.'

On July 31, 1997, at 1115 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna A188B, N8960G, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when during cruise flight, the pilot encountered smoke in the cockpit. The pilot elected to land the airplane in a corn field, approximately one mile northeast of Satanta, Kansas. During the landing attempt, the airplane impacted the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Satanta, Kansas, at 1000 cdt.

In his written statement, the pilot said that he had been out spraying a field. As he was "ferrying back [to the airport], smoke started coming into the cockpit." The pilot, believing that there was a fire in the airplane, "cut power and landed in [the] cornfield."

The owner of the airplane spoke to the pilot following the accident. He said that the pilot may have activated the "smoker" on the airplane - a piece of equipment used to determine wind drift. "When you turn it on, you smell it. It smells like smoke." The owner said that the switch is located on the pistol grip of the control stick. During the conversation, the pilot told the owner that he might have bumped the switch getting ready to land.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane at the site found the airplane resting upright in a corn field. Several dents were found in the engine cowling. The right wing was bent upward and aft beginning at the forward wingtip and running 45 degrees aft through the right aileron. The right aileron was bent upward at mid-span. Numerous heavy wrinkles were observed in the right wing's upper skin. The rear spar of the right wing was bent up and aft. The empennage area was bent to the right. The right horizontal stabilizer and right elevator were bent upward and aft near the outboard edges. The tail wheel bracket was cracked. The propeller showed no damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.