NTSB Factual Report

On July 3, 2000, about 1900 central daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N731SP, registered to and operated by Choctaw Flying Service, Inc., crashed while maneuvering near Inverness, Mississippi, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot received fatal injuries. The flight originated from Inverness, Mississippi, the same day, about 1850.

Representatives of the aircraft operator stated that the pilot had departed Choctaw Airport at about 1850, with 30 gallons of fuel and 5 gallons of agricultural chemical. The aircraft crashed about 1900.

Examination of the crash site by an FAA inspector showed the airplane was flying west along a treeline applying chemical to a cotton field. When the course was reversed the pilot stalled the aircraft in the turn then hitting a tree at about 25 feet. The aircraft's left wing and landing gear separated. The aircraft then turned nose down into the wooded area and impacted the ground where it went inverted. A postcrash fire erupted and destroyed the aircraft. The propeller had damage consistent with rotation at the time of the accident.

The pilot died on July 10, 2000. Postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by Dr. Steven T. Hayne, Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of death was attributed to advanced thermal burn injuries with partial and full-thickness thermal burns of the external surfaces of the body, bronchopneumonia, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and acute tubular necrosis of the kidneys. No finding which could be considered causal to the accident were reported. No toxicology testing was performed on specimens from the pilot after the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while reversing course during an aerial application flight resulting in the aircraft stalling, descending, impacting a tree, and crashing to the ground.