N731PW

On September 5, 1999, at 0930 central daylight time, a Cessna 188B agricultural airplane, N731PW, was substantially damaged when it impacted a telephone pole while maneuvering near Randalette, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered to Abernathy Spraying Service Inc., of Tipton, Oklahoma, and operated by a private individual. The airline transport rated pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The flight originated from the Tipton Municipal Airport, Tipton, Oklahoma, at 0845.

The 20,000-hour pilot reported during a telephone interview, that he was spraying a field 20 nautical miles north of Lawton, Oklahoma, with malathion, a chemical used for the eradication of boll weevils. He was maneuvering the airplane in a left bank turning towards the east, when the sun "blinded him." He added, in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), that "watching thru the sat loc, [he] saw one pole pass under [the] right wing, then one under [the] left, so [he] pushed down." Subsequently, the right wing impacted a third telephone pole. The airplane impacted the ground and slid approximately 150 feet, coming to rest inverted on a southerly heading.

The operator reported that the right wing separated from the fuselage at the wing root. He added that the engine mount separated from the airframe, and the propeller separated from the crankshaft.