- Date
- June 7, 2000, 11:38 local (16:38 UTC)
- Place
- Maddock, ND
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8515LPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000607036879A
- Case key
- 49427
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
Aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot. Factors to the accident were the turbulent weather condition, the inadvertent stall, and the inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot.
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 aircraft was conducting an aerial application mission when the aircraft encountered "dead air" during a turn following the completion of a spray-run. The pilot reported that the aircraft stalled, impacting the terrain. The pilot stated that after he evacuated the airplane it exploded and was consumed in a post-accident fire. The pilot reported that the weather conditions were getting turbulent and he should have terminated the aerial application flights earlier in the day.
Factual narrative
On June 7, 2000, at 1138 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N8515L, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain and subsequent ground-fire while conducting an aerial application mission near Maddock, North Dakota. Visual metrological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot reported serious injuries. The flight departed a private airstrip near Maddock, North Dakota, at exact time unknown.
According to an interview with the pilot, conducted by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration Fargo Flight Standards District Office, he was conducting an aerial application mission when the aircraft encountered "dead air" during a turn following the completion of a spray-run. The pilot reported that the aircraft stalled, impacting the terrain. The pilot stated that after he evacuated the airplane it exploded and was consumed in a post-accident fire. The pilot reported that the weather conditions were getting turbulent and he should have terminated the aerial application flights earlier in the day.
According to an annotation to a diagram provided by the pilot, "Run into turbulins [turbulence] and plane stalled crashed here".
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8515L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4932
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Sabbe Brothers Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2000
- Departed
- NA38 · ND
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,910 total · 7,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 169 °F, dew point 133 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DVL, 23 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.