Cessna A188 N90834

Summary

On 31 July 2020 at about 12:05 local time, a Cessna A188 registered N90834, operated by Woods Flying Service Llc, was involved in an accident near Memphis, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 July 2020 at 12:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Memphis, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

40.3969, -92.1817

Aircraft

Cessna A188

Registration

N90834

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Woods Flying Service Llc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Memphis → Memphis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA320

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot did not remove the rudder gust lock during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had just started flying this airplane five days before the accident as a contract pilot. Over the past four days, the operator had the airplane on the "ready pad" with all of the tie-downs and gust locks already removed. On the day of the accident, the airplane was tied down with all of the gust locks still installed. Prior to takeoff, the pilot completed a preflight inspection but did not remove the rudder gust lock. During the takeoff roll, the pilot had to use the brakes to keep the airplane centered on the runway, which made for a much longer takeoff roll. The airplane dragged in the 10 ft high corn off the end of the runway and lost lift, so the pilot made a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll the airplane collided with a tree and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. He stated that he should have completed a more thorough preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.