- Date
- August 7, 1996, 05:50 local (10:50 UTC)
- Place
- Winnsboro, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N92917Cessna A188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report February 18, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960807021389A
- Case key
- 19938
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 airspeed and altitude/clearance during the takeoff. A factor was the density altitude.
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 was on the first takeoff of the day in the early dawn. The winds were calm, with a temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the airplane was at a gross weight of 3,510 pounds (maximum gross weight 4,400 pounds). After breaking ground from the 2,200 foot airstrip, 'the airplane climbed to about 12 feet AGL and started settling.' The pilot added that the airplane 'entered dead air and sank into ground effect.' The main wheels caught in the corn plants at the departure end of the runway, resulting in a sudden deceleration and subsequent descent to the ground. Inspection of the accident site revealed that the airplane traveled for approximately 20 feet after impacting the corn field. The pilot stated that the engine was performing 'normally and there were no flight control problems.'
Factual narrative
On August 7, 1996, at 0550 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N92917, registered to and operated by Yates Flying Service, Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight, impacted terrain during takeoff near Winnsboro, Louisiana. The commercial pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed.
During a telephone interview, conducted by the investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported the following information. The pilot was on the first takeoff of the day in the early dawn. The winds were calm, with a temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the airplane was at a gross weight of 3,510 pounds (maximum gross weight 4,400 pounds). After breaking ground from the 2,200 foot airstrip, "the airplane climbed to about 12 feet AGL and started settling." The pilot added that the airplane "entered dead air and sank into ground effect." The main wheels caught in the corn plants at the departure end of the runway, resulting in a sudden deceleration and subsequent descent to the ground.
Post accident examination of the airplane, by the FAA inspector and the pilot, revealed that both wings, the empennage, and the top of the cabin sustained structural damage. Inspection of the accident site revealed that the airplane traveled for approximately 20 feet after impacting the corn field. The pilot told the FAA inspector that the engine was performing "normally and there were no flight control problems."
In the recommendation block of the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, the pilot offered no recommendation on how this accident could have been prevented and stated "probable localized inversion." Based on figures provided by the operator, the investigator-in-charge calculated the density altitude as 1,500 feet. No evidence was found that the pilot attempted to jettison the load to clear the obstructions at the end of the field.
The approved flight manual for the airplane does provide takeoff/climb performance data for restricted category operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92917
- Reported as
- Cessna A188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 188-020755
- Airframe hours
- 5,920
- Engine
- Continental IO-540-51A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Yates Flying Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 6, 1996 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- LS11 · Liddieville, runway 36, 2,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 35,000 total · 20,000 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.