- Date
- August 4, 2006, 21:35 local (Aug 5, 2006, 02:35 UTC)
- Place
- Minot, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7587ZPiper PA-25
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060804021219A
- Case key
- 64333
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 loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel calculations and the low airspeed which resulted in the pilot stalling the airplane. A factor was the car on the road which prevented the pilot from landing on the road.
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 agricultural spray airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain after a loss of control during a forced landing. The pilot reported that he had about two hours of fuel on board the airplane when he departed to spray a field. He was returning to his private airstrip about 1.5 hours after departure when the engine lost power. He attempted a forced landing to a gravel road, but a car was approaching so he changed directions to avoid any traffic on the ground. He reported that the stall warning light illuminated while he was in a left bank. He reported, "I started to flare about 50 ft. above the ground and the plane stalled dropping the left wing before impact." The inspection of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were empty.
Factual narrative
The agricultural spray airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain after a loss of control during a forced landing. The pilot reported that he had about two hours of fuel on board the airplane when he departed to spray a field. He was returning to his private airstrip about 1.5 hours after departure when the engine quit. He attempted a forced landing to a gravel road, but a car was approaching so he changed directions to avoid any traffic on the ground. He reported that the stall warning light illuminated while he was in a left bank. He reported, "I started to flare about 50 ft. above the ground and the plane stalled dropping the left wing before impact." The inspection of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were empty. The pilot reported that he had made the same trip three times earlier with the same amount of fuel. He reported that the "fuel gauge was cloudy."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7587Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-3666
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Nelson Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Lansford, 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 260 in this make and model · 78 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7587Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.