- Date
- June 12, 2009, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Clark, SD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N57625Piper PA-36-285
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090612053889A
- Case key
- 75560
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 visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from a levy.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The aerial application pilot reported that he was setting navigational equipment while en route to a field to spray. He stated that he became fixated on the unit. He said, “at the end of the field was a levy with a road on top of it. I noticed this too late and impacted the landing gear of the aircraft at the top of the levy. The airplane continued to fly and I knew I had hit something.” Review of photographs of the airplane showed that structural tubing was torn away from the fuselage tubing and the torn structure remained attached to the separated landing gear.
Factual narrative
The aerial application pilot reported that he was setting navigational equipment while en-route to a field to spray. He stated that he became fixated on the unit. He said, “At the end of the field was a levy with a road on top of it. I noticed this too late and impacted the landing gear of the aircraft at the top of the levy. The airplane continued to fly and I knew I had hit something.” Review of photographs of the airplane showed that structural tubing was torn away from the fuselage tubing and the torn structure remained attached to the separated landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57625
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-285
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-7660022
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Douglas M. Hansen
- Registered owner
- Douglas M. Hansen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- 8D7 · Clark, SD
- Destination
- Clark, SD
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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 28, 2010
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,040 total · 7 in this make and model · 941 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 635 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.