Cessna A188 N53163 accident near Corsica, South Dakota

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

On the day of the accident, the pilot had flown for about 2.5 hours, practicing aerial application operations with loads of water. The accident occurred on his third flight of the day. According to witnesses, the pilot had just completed two passes over the field. After completing the second pass, the pilot entered a turn to return for another pass when the airplane suddenly nosed over and impacted the ground. The airplane was destroyed by the impact with the ground.

One of the witnesses noted that the airplane entered a descending spiral before impact. Two witnesses heard a loud noise from the airplane similar to a "backfire" or "an over-inflated tire bursting," before seeing it "nosedive." All three witnesses stated that the airplane appeared to be flying normally before the accident occurred.

A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Toxicology testing showed evidence of the pilot’s use of multiple potentially impairing drugs; however, no active substances were found in the pilot’s blood following the accident. Therefore, it is unlikely that effects from the pilot’s use of these substances contributed to the accident.

Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot allowed the airplane’s airspeed to decay during the turn and the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20LA309 for the full record.