- Date
- August 23, 1985, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fergus Falls, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N40920Piper PA-36-285
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850823040209A
- Case key
- 13198
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Loss of control - in flight
Object - tree(s)Factor
In-flight planning/decision - poorFactor
Airspeed - inadequateCause
Stall - inadvertent
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
When the plt entered a steep right turn at the end of a swath run the acft began to loose alt so the plt added full pwr and leveled the wings. When the acft was close to the ground and slow the plt noticed a row of trees along the flt path. During a pull up in an attempt to clear the trees, the acft stalled and contacted the trees followed by the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40920
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-285
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-7460009
- Airframe hours
- 2,308
- Engine
- Continental 6-285-C(2), 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Thomas A. Devorak
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 7, 1985 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- FFM · Fergus Falls, MN
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 381 total · 104 in this make and model · 273 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FFM, 6 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.