Cessna 188 N9778G

Summary

On 19 June 2005 at about 00:04 local time, a Cessna 188 registered N9778G was involved in an accident near Senath, Missouri, 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

19 June 2005 at 00:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Senath, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

36.1397, -90.1958

Aircraft

Cessna 188

Registration

N9778G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hornersville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05LA149

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the tower guy wires. A factor was the extra antenna guy wire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The agricultural spray airplane was destroyed by ground impact and post impact fire after it hit a guy wire of a 1,040 foot radio tower antenna located near the cotton field the pilot was about to spray. A witness reported that he heard the airplane flying in the area and then he heard an explosion. He made a 911 emergency call, and then went outside and observed the tower falling to the ground. The inspection of the airplane revealed impact marks on the mid-span of the left wing, which were consistent with a wire strike. The propeller also exhibited gouging and scraping marks that were consistent with a wire strike. Witnesses reported that the pilot conducted a map study of the area to be sprayed since it was a "sensitive" area due to honeybees and homes near the cotton field that required spraying. The Memphis Sectional Aeronautical Chart the pilot used depicted the 1,040-foot tower. There were three sets of guy wires that anchored the tower. The three sets of guy wires were anchored at 120-degree intervals around the base of the tower. The bases of the guy wire anchors were about 425 feet from the base of the tower. An extra guy wire supported the tower. The anchor for the extra guy wire was located about 729 feet from the base of the tower in the southeast corner field where the tower was located. The FAA Advisory Circular AC 70/7460-1K, "Obstruction Marking and Lighting" advises that a pilot should maintain 2,000 feet horizontal clearance for a 2,000-foot tall tower to avoid all guy wires.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.