Cessna A188B N53377

Summary

On 2 June 2007 at about 15:57 local time, a Cessna A188B registered N53377, operated by Dudley McNeill, was involved in an accident near Happy, Texas, 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

2 June 2007 at 15:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Happy, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

McNeill Ranch Airport (6TE7)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna A188B

Registration

N53377

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dudley McNeill

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wayside → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07CA125

1 person had minor injuries.

An in-flight fire while maneuvering for an undetermined reason.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that he was flying his single-engine agricultural airplane approximately 300-feet above ground level when he smelled "hot wiring." He then saw smoke in the cockpit, and saw flames underneath the trailing edge of the right wing. The pilot made a precautionary landing on a county road, and exited the airplane normally. An FAA inspector examined the airplane. A review of photographs taken by the inspector revealed that the left wing and fuselage were consumed by fire, and the engine cowling had thermal damage. The mid-section of the right wing and tip of the elevator sustained thermal damage. This damage appeared to be heavy sooting, paint blistering, and metal deformation, consistent with an in-flight fire. However, the origin of the in-flight fire could not be determined. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector, who responded to the operator's facility, that the airplane's maintenance records were aboard the airplane at the time of the mishap, and according to the pilot, they were destroyed in the fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.