- Date
- July 18, 1990, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Farmville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8939LPiper PA-25
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900718029259A
- Case key
- 8097
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate pre-flight preparation when he declined to add fuel between aerial application flights. The engine quit as a result of fuel exhaustion.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
In the report of the accident, the operator stated that the agricultural pilot had landed between application flights. The chemical hopper was refilled; however, the pilot elected not to add fuel. While enroute to base following the last application flight the engine quit because of fuel exhaustion. A forced landing ensued in the only clear area available.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8939L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-5404
- Airframe hours
- 3,863
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Wa-Lu Aviation
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 9, 1990 · 21 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,765 total · 600 in this make and model · 1,650 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.