Cessna A188B N4789Q

Summary

On 23 April 2009 at about 14:00 local time, a Cessna A188B registered N4789Q, operated by A & C Ag Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Pinehurst, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 April 2009 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pinehurst, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (NONE)

Coordinates

32.2064, -83.7864

Aircraft

Cessna A188B

Registration

N4789Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

A & C Ag Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pinehurst → Pinehurst

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA258

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After spraying for mosquitoes for approximately 2 hours, the pilot returned for landing. The airplane approached the north runway, a 2,600-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. During the approach, the airplane banked left onto final approach and the engine revved to high rpm. The airplane touched down long, toward the left side of the runway. The airplane traveled off the left side of the runway, impacted bushes, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions and fuel was noted throughout the fuel system. The wreckage was righted, the engine was started, and it ran continuously to 2,500 rpm. The pilot had accumulated about 15,000 hours of total flight experience. Although the autopsy report noted the cause of deal as blunt force trauma, the report also indicated that examination of the pilot’s heart revealed a markedly enlarged (but not thickened) heart, consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition frequently associated with sudden cardiac death. There was no indication that the pilot was aware of the condition, and a relationship between the condition and the accident could not be conclusively established. Another pilot reported that the wind was from the west at 5 to 7 mph at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.