Cessna T188C N3152J

Summary

On 10 May 1997 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna T188C registered N3152J, operated by Precision Applicators, Inc., was involved in an accident near Mitchell, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 May 1997 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mitchell, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

44.6600, -120.2005

Aircraft

Cessna T188C

Registration

N3152J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Precision Applicators, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA104

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which led to a stall. A factor contributing to the accident was the lack of adequate altitude to effect a successful stall recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While the pilot was on the ground surveying area of land that he intended on spraying, the airplane was loaded with a pesticide in preparation for an aerial application flight. The pilot then boarded, started, and taxied the airplane for takeoff with no problems noted. He took off to the east, leveled off between 25 and 50 feet above the ground, commenced a steep bank turn to the left, flew over a target field located adjacent to the airstrip, and continued to bank steeply toward the west. The airplane aerodynamically stalled while in a steep turn and suddenly descended into terrain in a steep nose-down attitude. Most of the witnesses did not perceive any unusual engine noises prior to impact. The airstrip was surrounded by rising terrain. The flaps were in the fully retracted position. An examination of the engine, airframe, and systems did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical deficiencies, except for the seat restrain systems. The shoulder harness belt, which was original equipment, was severely deteriorated and had failed during the impact. No evidence of pilot incapacitation was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.