- Date
- August 12, 1991, 13:42 local (18:42 UTC)
- Place
- Paulina, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3493JCessna T188C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910812033699A
- Case key
- 23385
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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate visual lookout for the wires and his misjudging clearance when he attempted to fly under the wires.
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 pilot stated he flew his first pass of the swath run from the south to the north and turned for his second pass. During the second pass, the pilot spotted wires strung across the field at about the mid-point and attempted to fly under them. The wires caught on the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The pilot lost control of the airplane, and it impacted in the sugar cane field. The pilot stated he had sprayed that field on several occasions and he was aware of the wires.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3493J
- Reported as
- Cessna T188C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T18803645T
- Airframe hours
- 3,331
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-T1B, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Gulf Aire Enterprises, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gulf Aire Enterprises, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 1991 · 389 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Vacherie, LA
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,080 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 7,025 as pilot in command · 393 in the last 90 days · 167 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.