History of Flight
On September 16, 2016, about 0915 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A188, registration N3547Q, was destroyed when it struck terrain while maneuvering near Alapaha, Georgia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Berrien County Airport (4J2), Nashville, Georgia, about 0855.
According to a ground assistant who supported the pilot, the pilot planned three aerial application flights that day. The first flight departed at 0715 and returned about 1 hour 15 minutes later. The pilot stated, "everything seems good," and preparations began for the second flight.
The assistant loaded about 150 to 160 gallons of chemical and water mix into the hopper, and the pilot topped off the fuel tank from a personal trailer-based tank. The pilot intended to spray a 13-acre cotton field about 14 miles north of the airport, with a flight time of 8 to 9 minutes, and also a 100-acre field. The assistant noted the pilot liked to spray larger fields first to lighten the load. The pilot donned his shoulder harness and flight helmet and departed at 0855.
Two witnesses about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the 13-acre field heard an airplane flying back and forth around 0915. The engine noise then went silent, followed by an impact about 5 to 10 seconds later. Neither witness saw the airplane.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued in June 2016 with no limitations. Flight time was not reported on that application.
A logbook review showed total flight experience of 450 hours, with 410 hours as pilot-in-command and 125 hours in the accident airplane make and model, recorded between June 2013 and June 2016. The ground assistant reported the pilot performed multiple aerial application flights in the accident airplane during the two weeks before the accident that were not logged. The most recent flight review was on February 23, 2015.
Aircraft Information
The single-seat, low-wing, fixed-landing-gear airplane was manufactured in 1969 and registered to the pilot in June 2013. It was equipped with a 300-horsepower Continental Motors IO-520-D (9A) engine and a two-blade McCauley controllable-pitch propeller.
Airframe and engine logbooks showed the most recent annual and 100-hour inspections were completed in May 2016 at a tachometer time of 2,741.9 hours and 642.1 hours since engine overhaul. Between April 2013 and May 2016, 23 hours were accumulated on the tachometer.
The airplane flight manual (AFM) stated a maximum gross weight for takeoff in the restricted category of 4,000 lbs, 700 lbs above the normal category limit (3,300 lbs). The airplane was moved to the restricted category in June 2014.
A weight calculation based on the pilot's last reported weight (176 lbs), full fuel (37 gallons), the reported chemical mix (155 gallons), and an estimated empty weight of 1,910 lbs (actual empty weight not found) gave a takeoff weight of about 3,601 lbs, within the restricted category limit.
The fuel system consisted of a 37-gallon aluminum tank aft of the firewall. Fuel flowed through a shutoff valve, check valve, auxiliary fuel pump, strainer, engine-driven pump, metering unit, distribution valve, and injection nozzles. Unmetered fuel returned to the tank.
The AFM noted that while the airplane could work at speeds from 85 to 120 MPH, speeds of 95 to 115 MPH were suggested for heavy loads. Very low airspeeds with heavy loads were not recommended. Stall characteristics were conventional with a warning horn sounding 5 to 10 MPH above stall. Intentional spins were prohibited.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Henry Tift Myers Airport (TMA), Tifton, Georgia, about 16 miles west of the accident site, at 0915: wind 060° at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 24°C, dew point 23°C.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in an open plowed dirt field bordering the cotton field, on a magnetic heading of about 115° to 120°. The wreckage path from initial impact (broken tree branches) to main wreckage was about 100 ft long on a 300° magnetic heading. All major components were accounted for.
The fuselage showed impact and fire damage but no evidence of in-flight fire. The left wing remained attached; the right wing was twisted forward; the fuselage was canted right forward of the firewall; the empennage had metal tearing to the right. Separated empennage control surfaces were under the rear fuselage. Main landing gear assemblies were separated. Both flaps were extended.
Flight control continuity was confirmed from surfaces to the burned cockpit. The throttle lever was about 1/3 forward from idle; propeller lever full forward; mixture control pulled aft about 1 inch; fuel shutoff valve ON; flap handle near vertical past 20° extended. The pilot's four-point buckle was latched. The instrument panel was consumed by fire. An agricultural GPS spray guidance system was found but no data recovered.
The engine remained attached; crankshaft continuity confirmed; thumb compression and suction observed on all cylinders; spark plugs normal; magnetos produced spark; engine-driven fuel pump intact; oil filter clean.
The fuel manifold filter screen was clear with no fuel. Injectors open and clean. Fuel strainer intact. Throttle-body metering unit was impact-damaged and separated; a compacted contaminant (dirt) was found obstructing the fuel filter screen in the metering unit, confirmed by NTSB Materials Laboratory.
The propeller separated; blade one had slight rearward bend and chordwise scratching; blade two had rearward bending, twisting, and scratching.
Additional Information: Fuel Source
The pilot used his own trailer-based 450-gallon fuel tank since fall 2015. The week before the accident, the pilot and assistant refueled it with 120 gallons of 100LL from TMA. Two interconnected hoses were attached: a 10-ft hose plus a 20-ft extension added that week. Normally, if fuel had not been pumped for days, they would run 1-2 gallons through the hose due to brown discoloration; after a few gallons, fuel returned to normal blue.
Three days after the accident, an FAA inspector drained fuel from the tank; the sample was "clean and blue" with no debris. Ten days after, an NTSB investigator observed the assistant pump fuel through the 30-ft hose; the first 1-2 gallons appeared dark green, then light blue (consistent with 100LL). The hoses were examined by NTSB Materials Laboratory and found intact with no chemical degradation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of death as thermal and blunt force injuries, manner accidental. Toxicology testing by the FAA identified cetirizine (potentially-impairing antihistamine) in blood and urine, salicylate in urine, and 16% carbon monoxide in blood.