Cessna 188B N91181

Summary

On 11 October 2006 at about 18:30 local time, a Cessna 188B registered N91181, operated by William J. Brinkley, was involved in an accident near Belhaven, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 October 2006 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Belhaven, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.5392, -76.6169

Aircraft

Cessna 188B

Registration

N91181

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William J. Brinkley

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Belhaven → Belhaven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL07CA007

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to compensate for wind conditions and maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, during takeoff from a grass airstrip, the airplane stalled on initial climb and crashed in a cotton field. He was carrying 150 gallons of chemicals. The pilot stated that, upon exiting the airplane, he observed that the wind had switched from a headwind to a tailwind. The pilot stated that he should have erected a windsock or should have taken on a lighter load of chemicals. He also said that there were no mechanical problems noted with the airplane prior to the accident. Substantial damage occurred to both wings, the propeller, the fuselage, and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. According to an FAA Inspector, the pilot was engaged in aerial application operations without an agricultural operator certificate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.