# NTSB CHI99LA303: Cessna A188B, N136MC, Seward, NE, August 19, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 18, 1999, 19:30 local (Aug 19, 1999, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Seward, NE - Coordinates: 40.910713, -97.089447 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9107&lon=-97.0894&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report June 22, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47087 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI99LA303 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47087/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA303 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power line. A factor relating to this accident was the power line. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - object - wire,transmission (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot said that he had been spraying several corn fields and flying under the power lines. On a pass heading northbound, and flying under power lines, the pilot said that the tail of the airplane caught the bottom wire, tearing the tail off and flipping the airplane on its back. Examination of the accident site revealed an east-west running power line preceding the airplane wreckage by 250 feet. One of the wires showed fraying and unraveling. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no anomalies. ## Factual narrative On August 18, 1999, at 1930 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna A188B, N136MC, operated by a commercial pilot was destroyed when the airplane's empennage was severed by a power line, while maneuvering during an aerial application pass over a farm field. The airplane subsequently impacted in a field, 250 feet north of the power line. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137. There was no flight plan on file. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the accident. The local flight departed Utica, Nebraska, at 1830 cdt. In his written statement, the pilot said that he had been spraying several corn fields and flying under the power lines. On a pass heading northbound, and flying under power lines, the pilot said that the tail of the airplane caught the bottom wire, tearing the tail off and flipping the airplane on its back. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the accident site on August 18, 1999. The airplane was found resting inverted in a farm field located 4 miles west- southwest of Seward, Nebraska. An east-west running power line was located 250 feet south of the airplane's main wreckage. One of the wires showed fraying and unraveling. The airplane's empennage was found on the ground just north of the power lines. The empennage had been broken from the fuselage just forward of the vertical stabilizer. The airplane's propeller and right main landing gear were broken off and embedded in mud. The airplane's engine and cowling were separated from the fuselage just forward of the cockpit, and were also embedded in mud. The airplane's right wing was severed at the wing root, and preceded the main wreckage by 20 feet. The main wreckage consisted of the airplane's fuselage, cockpit and left wing. The airplane's left wing was bent aft. The fuselage was crushed inward and aft. The roll cage and cockpit were intact. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the airplane's engine, engine controls, or other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N136MC](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N136MC-2002-06-20), registration cancelled 2002-06-20, S/N 18801917T, built 1974 (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: 18801917T - Airframe hours: 5042 - Engines: Continental IO-520-D 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Stanley C. Bennett - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, February 5, 1999, 121 hours before - Departed: 0J9, UTICA, NE ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: center; flight hours: 7,871 total, 6,640 in this make and model, 7,711 as pilot in command, 75 in the last 90 days, 50 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 350° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: LNK, 23 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990818012639A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990818012639A), Aug 18, 1999: Cessna A188B, Seward, NE, Destroyed. Acft was involved in aerial application when its tail section struck a power line, the acft struck the ground, and rolled over, other circumstances are… 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.