Cessna T188 N2863J

Summary

On 14 July 2019 at about 00:24 local time, a Cessna T188 registered N2863J, operated by AAA Spraying Solutions LLC, was involved in an accident near Knox, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2019 at 00:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Knox, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Wheeler (IG05)

Coordinates

41.2942, -86.6225

Aircraft

Cessna T188

Registration

N2863J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

AAA Spraying Solutions LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knox → Knox

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA225

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing agricultural application passes along the operator's airstrip. A witness reported that the pilot's initial passes were completed without incident, although the pilot "seemed to be slightly aggressive in the turns." After landing, the pilot mentioned turning at an airspeed of 60 mph, and the witness informed him to never fly below 80 mph. The pilot took off and completed three more practice passes. After the pilot's final pass, he executed a "very steep field exit" and held the airplane in a nose-up attitude longer than required to clear the obstacles. He entered a left 270° turn and, after rolling wings-level, the airplane entered an "extremely slow" climb before abruptly rolling into a steep left bank that continued until impact. The pilot reported that the did not recall any of the events leading to the accident. A postaccident examination revealed damage to the forward fuselage, both wings and the empennage. The examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.