- Date
- June 19, 2025, 09:40 local (14:40 UTC)
- Place
- Huron, SD · 44.336183, -98.320925
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6174APiper PA-36-375
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250619006009A
- Case key
- 200377
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 exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a low-level aerial application, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at too low of an altitude to recover.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that she was practicing a low-level aerial application flight of applying water to a field. During the third pass, she pushed the spray lever forward and inadvertently pushed the dump lever with her knuckles, which opened the gate to the hopper. She closed the gate and continued spraying, then climbed out of the field. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall during the climb and the pilot applied full power; however, the airplane continued to stall at a low altitude and landed hard in a field. The airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the airplane was equipped with a stall warning system. She further reported that she obtained her aerial application airplane operation logbook endorsement 36 days before the accident date.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6174A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-375
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-8102016
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 6,298
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-D1CD, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Dakota Air Spray LLC
- Registered owner
- Dakota Air Spray LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 2025
- Departed
- HON · Huron, SD
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 19, 2024
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 612.4 total · 8.6 in this make and model · 566.2 as pilot in command · 52.6 in the last 90 days · 12.9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- KHON, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KHON 191455Z AUTO 20009KT 10SM CLR 27/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02670161 58006
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB 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.