- Date
- July 11, 1989, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wh Sulphur Spgs, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6663ZPiper PA-25
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890711026369A
- Case key
- 17744
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 failed to maintain adequate airspeed during an aerial application maneuver and inadvertently allowed the aircraft to mush into the ground. Unfavorable wind and turbulence were considered to be contributing factors.
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 plt was on an aerial application flt, spraying weeds next to hilly terrain. He rprtd that as he was in a right turn (last spray run), the acft encountered an unexpected tailwind & extreme turbulence. Subsequently, it settled & collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6663Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-2263
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Morgan, Boyd J., doing business as Quality Spraying
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- 7S6 · Wh Sulphur Spgs, MT
- Destination
- 7S6
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,674 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 330 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.