Cessna A188 N4996R

Summary

On 6 August 2018 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna A188 registered N4996R, operated by Lloyd Darter Aviation, was involved in an accident near Sedalia, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 August 2018 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sedalia, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.7044, -93.2283

Aircraft

Cessna A188

Registration

N4996R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Lloyd Darter Aviation

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marshall → Marshall

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA321

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during low-altitude maneuvering for reasons that could not be determined due to postimpact fire damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting an agricultural application flight. He stated that he felt a loss of engine power when he pulled up during a second pass over a field. He pushed the throttle and mixture controls forward, but the engine power did not increase. He dumped the payload and then located a landing area. The pilot flew the airplane at its best glide speed, and the airplane struck a tree short of the landing area. Subsequently, the airplane spun right. He pulled the control stick back and applied right rudder to maintain the airplane in an upright attitude before it impacted the ground and erupted into a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the two propeller blades were relatively straight, consistent with a lack of torsion, indicating that the engine lost all power before impact. Postimpact fire destroyed the engine, engine accessories, and airframe, which precluded functional testing of any components. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.