- Date
- April 10, 1989, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rapelje, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N731XGCessna A188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890410007439A
- Case key
- 17696
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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions by the pilot which resulted in a loss of directional control on landing and subsequent collision with a ditch.
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 commercial ag plt was operating a single place Cessna 188 from a road near Rapelje, MT. The plt estimated the winds from the west at 5 KTS, gusting to 12 KTS. During a landing to the north to reload with fertilizer, a gust of wind struck the acft and the plt said he lost directional control. The acft departed the road to the left and struck a ditch, damaging the left main gear and left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731XG
- Reported as
- Cessna A188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18803233T
- Airframe hours
- 2,469
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Yellowstone Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 1988 · 135 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
- 60
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 14,400 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 14,335 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 15 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.