# NTSB FTW03LA151: Cessna A188B, N4931R, Kinta, OK, May 15, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 15, 2003, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC) - Place: Kinta, OK - Coordinates: 35.288887, -95.093887 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2889&lon=-95.0939&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: OKC FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57003 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW03LA151 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57003/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA151 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to supervise the refueling of the aircraft and failure to use his before takeoff checklist. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - refueling - not verified, pilot in command (contributing factor) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - checklist - not performed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ditch ## Analysis The pilot taxied out and departed the private airstrip to perform an aerial application on a field 25 miles southwest the airstrip. Approximately one hour into the aerial application flight the pilot noticed the "fuel gauges indicated empty." The pilot terminated the aerial application spray run and started a "gentle climb" to gain altitude. The engine started to "sputter and cough", and he initiated an "engine out" landing in the field he was spraying. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear "fell into a small gully" approximately 3 feet deep. Subsequently, the right wing and horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground. The pilot stated that during the aircraft servicing operations prior to takeoff, "the aircraft was not properly fueled as per the pilot's instruction." ## Factual narrative On May 15, 2003, at 1420 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B agricultural airplane, N4931R, owned and operated by Agratech, Inc., of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Kinta, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight departed at 1320 from a private airstrip near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. The 4,933-hour pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that the flight departed the private airstrip to perform an aerial application on a field 25 miles southwest the airstrip. Upon arriving at the field, he "began spraying without noticing the low fuel quantity indications." Approximately one hour into the flight, he was half way through his aerial application flight, and noticed the "fuel gauges indicated empty." He terminated the aerial application spray run and started a "gentle climb" to gain altitude. The engine started to "sputter and cough", and he initiated a "engine out" landing to the field he was spraying. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear "fell into a small gully" approximately 3 feet deep. Subsequently, the right wing and horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground. The pilot added that during the aircraft servicing operations prior to takeoff, "the aircraft was not properly fueled as per his instruction." The pilot stated in the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 under the Recommendation (How This Accident Could Have Been Prevented) section: "Pay attention to the refueling operations on the ground. Use checklist on takeoff to make sure both fuel tanks are full before taking off." Examination of the airplane by the operator revealed the outboard 3-feet of the right wing, and the outboard 12-inches of the right horizontal stabilizer, were bent upward approximately 45-degrees. The right main landing gear was also bent. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4931R](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4931R), registered now, S/N 18802448T, built 1975 (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: 18802448T - Airframe hours: 4598 - Engines: Lycoming IO-720 A/B 400 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Paul Gould - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, December 10, 2002, 63 hours before - Departed: Webbers Falls, OK - Destination: Kenta, OK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review February 10, 2002; seat: center; flight hours: 4,993 total, 3,397 in this make and model, 7,948 as pilot in command, 235 in the last 90 days, 130 in the last 30 days, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 230° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 59 °F - Altimeter: 29.87 inHg ## 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 20030515022559A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030515022559A), May 15, 2003: Cessna A188B, Kinta, OK, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot stated during a phone conversation on 05/15/2003 that he thought his ground help put fuel in the aircraft, however his ground help thought paul the… 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.