What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On spraying a field with full load, pulled full power, abrupt pullup, sharp left turn to vertical, crash and burned (-23)on 06/28/96, at 1740 UTC, Mr. Robert w. bryant was flying his Piper PA-36-375 pawnee brave enroute to a farm field to spray a chemical insecticide called pounce. He had departed the staging field approximately 10 minutes earlier after loading 910 pounds of chemical and topping off the fuel. The weather was 15,000 thin scattered, visibility 12 miles, temperature 90 deg. F., wind calm. According to Mr. Mike clawson, the manager of the fertilizer company that Mr. Bryant was working for, Mr. Bryant did not have aeronautical charts of the area, and he borrowed plat maps of the area to locate the field. An eyewitness heard the aircraft approaching (in a direction that would have taken him to the field to be sprayed), and saw the aircraft abruptly pull up, followed by a sharp left turn to a nose down attitude, and then lost sight of the aircraft behind a house. The aircraft struck the ground in a vertical position, ruptured both fuel tanks and was mostly consumed in a fire. Less than 100 yards from the accident site was a high tension power line running across the flight path of the aircraft. The large lines were plainly visible, and the aircraft's path would have been in the middle of the swag of the wires between the high tension towers. A set of much smaller wires were stretched across at the top of the towers, approximately 50 feet above the main wires. It appeared that the pilot saw the smaller wires and attempted to pull up to avoid them, and stalled the aircraft, whereupon the aircraft spun to the left and impacted the ground.
As the FAA filed it
ON SPRAYING A FIELD WITH FULL LOAD, PULLED FULL POWER, ABRUPT PULLUP, SHARP LEFT TURN TO VERTICAL, CRASH AND BURNED (-23)ON 06/28/96, AT 1740 UTC, MR. ROBERT W. BRYANT WAS FLYING HIS PIPER PA-36-375 PAWNEE BRAVE ENROUTE TO A FARM FIELD TO SPRAY A CHEMICAL INSECTICIDE CALLED POUNCE. HE HAD DEPARTED THE STAGING FIELD APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES EARLIER AFTER LOADING 910 POUNDS OF CHEMICAL AND TOPPING OFF THE FUEL. THE WEATHER WAS 15,000 THIN SCATTERED, VISIBILITY 12 MILES, TEMPERATURE 90 DEG. F., WIND CALM. ACCORDING TO MR. MIKE CLAWSON, THE MANAGER OF THE FERTILIZER COMPANY THAT MR. BRYANT WAS WORKING FOR, MR. BRYANT DID NOT HAVE AERONAUTICAL CHARTS OF THE AREA, AND HE BORROWED PLAT MAPS OF THE AREA TO LOCATE THE FIELD. AN EYEWITNESS HEARD THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHING (IN A DIRECTION THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HIM TO THE FIELD TO BE SPRAYED), AND SAW THE AIRCRAFT ABRUPTLY PULL UP, FOLLOWED BY A SHARP LEFT TURN TO A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, AND THEN LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT BEHIND A HOUSE. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A VERTICAL POSITION, RUPTURED BOTH FUEL TANKS AND WAS MOSTLY CONSUMED IN A FIRE. LESS THAN 100 YARDS FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS A HIGH TENSION POWER LINE RUNNING ACROSS THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE LARGE LINES WERE PLAINLY VISIBLE, AND THE AIRCRAFT'S PATH WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SWAG OF THE WIRES BETWEEN THE HIGH TENSION TOWERS. A SET OF MUCH SMALLER WIRES WERE STRETCHED ACROSS AT THE TOP OF THE TOWERS, APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE MAIN WIRES. IT APPEARED THAT THE PILOT SAW THE SMALLER WIRES AND ATTEMPTED TO PULL UP TO AVOID THEM, AND STALLED THE AIRCRAFT, WHEREUPON THE AIRCRAFT SPUN TO THE LEFT AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.