# NTSB MIA02CA174: Cessna 188B, N21689, Pikesville, NC, September 25, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 25, 2002, 17:10 local (21:10 UTC) - Place: Pikesville, NC - Coordinates: 35.449722, -77.849723 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4497&lon=-77.8497&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report January 16, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 55784 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA02CA174 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55784/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02CA174 ## Probable cause The inability of the pilot to see the .250 inch diameter unmarked cable resulting in the in-flight collision with the cable and substantial damage to the airplane. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - visual lookout - not possible, pilot in command (cause) - object - wire,static ## Analysis The pilot stated that he was contracted to spray the Wayne Company Wildlife Club Pond which was dry and he surveyed the area on the day of the accident noting obstacles around the lake. After surveying the area he returned to where the airplane was based, loaded chemicals into the hopper tank, and departed. He reported that he sprayed all the big parts of the lake and proceeded to spray all the small parts of the lake (bends, coves, etc). While he was spraying one of the coves, he observed just before impact a 1/4 inch diameter cable that was stretched across the coves; the cable was approximately 15-20 feet above ground level. The tail wheel of the airplane collided with the cable which separated from one of the ends where it was connected to a tree. The flight continued and the cable wrapped around the tail damaging the elevator flight controls, vertical stabilizer, and right elevator. The flight continued and the airplane crashed in a corn field. The pilot advised the FAA inspector that there was no airframe or engine malfunction prior to the cable strike. Examination of the accident site and the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the airplane collided with a .250 inch diameter unmarked cable that stretched between two trees of the southeast cove; the cable remained secured to one of the trees. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were separated, and the forward spar of the vertical stabilizer was fractured. The rear spar of the vertical stabilizer was not fractured. ## Factual narrative On September 25, 2002, about 1710 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 188B, N21689, registered to a private individual, collided with a wire then the ground during an aerial application flight near Pikeville, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The flight originated approximately 20 minutes earlier from the Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal Airport, Goldsboro, North Carolina. The pilot stated that he was contracted to spray the Wayne Company Wildlife Club Pond which was dry and he surveyed the area on the day of the accident noting obstacles around the lake. After surveying the area he returned to where the airplane was based, loaded chemicals into the hopper tank, and departed. He reported that he sprayed all the big parts of the lake and proceeded to spray all the small parts of the lake (bends, coves, etc). While he was spraying one of the coves, he observed just before impact a 1/4 inch diameter cable that was stretched across the coves; the cable was approximately 15-20 feet above ground level. The tail wheel of the airplane collided with the cable which separated from one of the ends where it was connected to a tree. The flight continued and the cable wrapped around the tail damaging the elevator flight controls, vertical stabilizer, and right elevator. The flight continued and the airplane crashed in a corn field. The pilot advised the FAA inspector that there was no airframe or engine malfunction prior to the cable strike. Examination of the accident site and the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the airplane collided with a .250 inch diameter unmarked cable that stretched between two trees of the southeast cove; the cable remained secured to one of the trees. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were separated, and the forward spar of the vertical stabilizer was fractured. The rear spar of the vertical stabilizer was not fractured. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N21689](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21689-2007-12-04), registration cancelled 2007-12-04, S/N 18800960, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 188B - Registry model: [Cessna 188B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-188b) (registry code 2073007) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18800960 - Engines: Continental O-470R reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Wayne Aerial Crop Spraying - Registered owner: Daniel A. Lancaster - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Departed: KGWW, Goldsboro, NC ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; flight hours: 3,591 total, 3,242 in this make and model, 130 in the last 90 days, 24 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: KGSB ## 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 20020925026419A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020925026419A), Sep 25, 2002: Cessna 188B, Pikeville, NC, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 25, 2002 at 1700 EST, N21689 a Cessna 188B was conducting an aerial spraying detail over a dry lake, under title 14 CFR 137 when it impacted… ## Other investigations on N21689 (1) 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. - [NTSB IAD74AI013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD74AI013), Aug 17, 1973: Cessna 188B (N21689), Swan Quarter, NC, minor damage, 1 fatal 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.