- Date
- October 24, 1991, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Thomasville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7501ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911024047929A
- Case key
- 8540
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
A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate during the forced landing attempt.
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
The ag pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, at about 100 feet AGL, the engine sputtered and quit. He turned toward a harvested cotton field to perform a forced landing. He pumped the throttle, and the engine restarted, then quit again. The aircraft landed hard, separating the main landing gear at impact. The airplane slid about 50 feet, came to a stop, and caught fire. An FAA inspector reported that the aircraft impacted the terrain at a high sink rate. Teardown inspection of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. The pilot reported no indication of fuel contamination during his preflight. Fire damage precluded examining the aircraft fuel supply for contaminants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7501Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-3528
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Murphy'S Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Murphy'S Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 20, 1991
- Airport
- NONE · Unknown, runway 36, 2,500 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Flight hours
- 5,300 total · 1,300 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VAD, 45 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.