Cessna 188 Safety Record

Complete NTSB accident and incident history. 259 events recorded from 1982 to 2026.

259

All Events

174

Incidents

29

Minor

27

Serious

25

Fatal (24 fatalities)

Date Location Reg# Severity Damage Probable Cause
Jul 18, 1991 PALOUSE, WA N731YZ Incident substantial THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT.
Jul 13, 1991 HECLA, SD N9399G Incident substantial
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AS HE ATTEMPTED TO JETTISON A LOAD OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL AFTER THE AIRPLANE FAILED TO CLIMB A…

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AS HE ATTEMPTED TO JETTISON A LOAD OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL AFTER THE AIRPLANE FAILED TO CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCIDENT ARE AN ATTEMPTED DOWNWIND TAKEOFF BY THE PILOT.

Jun 29, 1991 MUSCLE SHOALS, AL N48430 Serious (1) substantial THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Jun 17, 1991 WALLIS, TX N4719Q Incident destroyed
THE PARTIAL POWER LOSS DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN ONTO WHICH A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING COULD HAVE…

THE PARTIAL POWER LOSS DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN ONTO WHICH A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING COULD HAVE BEEN EXECUTED.

May 31, 1991 SYCAMORE, SC N731EP Incident substantial THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SECURE THE GUST LOCK DURING PRELFLIGHT; THE STRING JAMMED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND CREATED AN UNCONTROLLABLE CONDITION.
May 09, 1991 LA FERIA, TX N8184V Incident substantial THE PILOT EXCEEDED THE PROPER DESCENT RATE.
Sep 08, 1990 ELIZABETH CITY, NC N731NY Incident substantial
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND THE SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DURING TAKEOFF. EXISTING CR…

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND THE SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DURING TAKEOFF. EXISTING CROSSWINDS AND GUSTS WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.

Aug 23, 1990 HUNTER, AR N3566Q Incident destroyed THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER CLEARANCE ABOVE THE CROPS.
Aug 20, 1990 ECKLEY, CO N4933Q Incident substantial A FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE PILOT IN COMMAND TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE TERRAIN CLEARANCE.
Aug 20, 1990 HOLYOKE, CO N2080J Serious (1) destroyed A STALL MUSH WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE PILOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS PREMATURELY FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SETTLE INTO THE GROUND.
Aug 07, 1990 SALISBURY, MO N9106R Minor substantial PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT NOT ATTAINED AND GO-AROUND NOT PERFORMED BY THE PIC.
Aug 04, 1990 DAZEY, ND N8024V Incident substantial A BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL TANK VENT LINE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH THE PILOT HAD TO MAKE THE FORCED LANDING.
Aug 03, 1990 ARCHIBALD, LA N70114 Incident substantial THE POWER LOSS FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WAS THE ROUGH UNEVEN TERRAIN IN WHICH THE FORCED LANDING WAS PERFORMED.
Aug 03, 1990 DENTON, MT N9632G Incident substantial THE PREMATURE LIFTOFF DURING TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL BY THE PILOT, RESULTING IN A STALL.
Jul 11, 1990 Michigan, ND N4940R Incident substantial THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALIGNMENT DURING LANDING.
Jul 01, 1990 MARSHALLTOWN, IA N70147 Serious (1) destroyed INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT AND CLEARANCE NOT OBTAINED.
Jun 13, 1990 JOINER, AR N2059J Incident substantial PREMATURE LIFT-OFF BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Jun 04, 1990 MARTIN, SD N78516 Incident substantial
THE ON-GROUND LOSS OF CONTROL DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND RUN. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE OPTIMUM TAKEOFF FLAPS FOR TH…

THE ON-GROUND LOSS OF CONTROL DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND RUN. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE OPTIMUM TAKEOFF FLAPS FOR THE RUNWAY CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED, AND THE SOFT WET RUNWAY SURFACE.

Oct 05, 1989 HARTSVILLE, SC N21897 Fatal (1) substantial THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE IN-FLIGHT CLEARANCE FROM OBSTACLES.
Sep 21, 1989 WINNSBORO, LA N5511S Serious (1) destroyed THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH A TREE.
Sep 10, 1989 SUNLAND PARK, NM N9342R Incident substantial UNDETERMINED. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE CROP IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Aug 27, 1989 MILTON, FL N5699J Minor substantial FLIGHT IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER BY THE PILOT. TURBULENCE FROM THE NEARBY THUNDERSTORM WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Aug 16, 1989 PRATTVILLE, AL N9318G Fatal (1) destroyed FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS (TREES).
Aug 06, 1989 VALLEY CITY, ND N188TV Fatal (1) destroyed INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOT. THE POWER LINE WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Aug 05, 1989 CANTON, MS N21895 Incident substantial
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPTED FLIGHT IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PRESENCE O…

THE PILOT'S ATTEMPTED FLIGHT IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PRESENCE OF THE PARKED AIRCRAFT NEAR THE RUNWAY.

Disclaimer: This data is sourced from the NTSB Aviation Accident Database. NTSB events reflect reported accidents and incidents and do not necessarily indicate a defect in the aircraft type. Many events involve pilot error, weather conditions, maintenance issues, or other factors unrelated to the aircraft design. This information is provided for research purposes only — consult official NTSB reports for complete details.
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