- Date
- April 29, 1992, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Deloit, IA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3986EPiper PA-36-375
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920429012199A
- Case key
- 15207
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
Inadequate visual lookout by the pilot in command while performing aerial application maneuvers. A factor in the accident is the pilot's diverted attention.
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 pilot of the accident airplane collided with the top of a power transmission wire array while performing aerial application maneuvers. He stated his concentration was on maintaining clearance from three large diameter wires comprising the lower portion of the array. He failed to see the smaller wires of the upper portion until the 'last split second' before the collision. The wires remained intact and the airplane rebounded 300 feet into a small pond where it landed upright.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3986E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-375
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-7902030
- Airframe hours
- 1,631
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-D1CD, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Darrell Johnson
- Registered owner
- Darrell Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 1992 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- SKI · Sac City, IA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,618 total · 2,682 in this make and model · 5,536 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3.5 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.