# NTSB FTW02LA263: Cessna 188A, N9943G, Vincent, TX, September 17, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 17, 2002, 12:10 local (17:10 UTC) - Place: Vincent, TX - Coordinates: 32.504165, -101.224723 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.5042&lon=-101.2247&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Lubbock, Texas - NTSB case key (mKey): 55755 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW02LA263 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55755/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA263 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, maneuvering - aerial application - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot was spraying a cotton field at an altitude of approximately 2 to 3 feet agl when the engine lost power. The pilot added "some flaps" and landed straight ahead in a sandy cotton field. During the rollout, the pilot noticed a ditch coming up in front of him. The pilot applied hard braking, and subsequently the airplane came to rest on its nose. The reason for the loss of engine power was undetermined. ## Factual narrative On September 17, 2002, at 1210 central daylight time, a Cessna 188A single-engine agricultural airplane, N9943G, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Vincent, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the Elk Creek Spraying Service of Nacogdoches, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport, Big Spring, Texas, at 1100. In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that while spraying a cotton field at an altitude of approximately 2 to 3 feet agl, "the engine just quit." The pilot stated that he then added "some flaps" and landed straight ahead to the sandy cotton field he had been spraying. After landing and during the roll out, the pilot reported "a ditch was coming up in front of me, so in order not to hit it, I applied hard braking which caused the airplane to go up on its nose." An FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported the center portion of the firewall was structurally damaged, the engine mount was bent, both propeller blades were bent, and the left wing tip was damaged. The reason for the loss of engine power was undetermined. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9943G](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9943G-2009-08-14), registration cancelled 2009-08-14, S/N 18800743, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 188A - Registry model: [Cessna A188A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a188a) (registry code 2073008) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520-D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-d) (registry code 17236, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18800743 - Airframe hours: 7233 - Engines: Continental IO-520 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Elk Creek Spraying Service - Registered owner: Calvin Wayne Stephens - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, March 1, 2002, 46.9 hours before - Departed: T49, Big Spring, TX ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 58; injuries: none; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 27, 2001; seat: center; flight hours: 4,463 total, 1,180 in this make and model, 4,064 as pilot in command, 150 in the last 90 days, 13 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 220° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 93 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 29.82 inHg - Observed at: MAF, 65 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 20020917026699A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020917026699A), Sep 17, 2002: Cessna A188A, Vincent, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 17, 2002, at 1800 CDT, a Cessna 188A, single engine agricultural airplane, N9943G, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing… 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.