- Date
- March 13, 1992, 16:33 local (Mar 14, 1992, 00:33 UTC)
- Place
- Corcoran, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N53241Cessna A188B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920313006319A
- Case key
- 27575
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 aircraft's encounter during the takeoff with a crosswind gust beyond the capability of the aircraft.
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
According to statements from both the pilot and his ground loader, the aircraft was on the takeoff ground roll when a sudden 90 degree crosswind gust caused the pilot to momentarily loose directional control. The pilot recovered control and continued the takeoff. Immediately after lift off, a second and stronger crosswind gust began pushing the aircraft to the right into a line of telephone poles parallel to the runway. The pilot said he attempted to dump the load of chemicals in order to clear the poles but the mechanism momentarily jammed and the load did not totally jettison. The right wing of the aircraft collided with a telephone pole, shearing it off. The aircraft then crashed into an adjacent santa fe railroad right of way. The pilot estimated that the steady state crosswind component was 10 knots with gusts to 20 knots. Cessna aircraft estimated that the maximum crosswind component capability of the aircraft was 13 knots. The accident flight was the third load of the day.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53241
- Reported as
- Cessna A188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18801704
- Airframe hours
- 3,350
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D-23, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Divine Aerial Applicators
- Registered owner
- Gerald & Marjorie Divine
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 23, 1991 · 126 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Pvt Ranch Airstrip, runway 36, 4,000 × 30 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,540 total · 200 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.