- Date
- June 1, 1989, 20:23 local (Jun 2, 1989, 00:23 UTC)
- Place
- Preston, MD
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4497YPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890601066849A
- Case key
- 11445
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
Pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance with the wheat crop as he passed under the powerline during an aerial application swath run.
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 accident occurred during an aerial application flight to spray a field which contained a 3 to 4 ft tall wheat crop. The plt reported that during the spraying operation, he flew under power lines which crossed the field. When doing so, the main gear caught the wheat and the acft descended toward the terrain. The acft then nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4497Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4169
- Airframe hours
- 3,354
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B285, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Air Ag, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Air Ag, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 24, 1989 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Homer Schmidt, MD
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,044 total · 264 in this make and model · 1,002 as pilot in command · 292 in the last 90 days · 94 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 29 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.