- Date
- June 22, 1990, 08:10 local (13:10 UTC)
- Place
- Hazelton, ND
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4988YPiper PA-25-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900622021979A
- Case key
- 17955
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 failure of the pilot in command to maintain adequate visual lookout during aerial application maneuvering.
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 commercial pilot reported that he started under a wire while on an aerial spraying flight, but could remember nothing else. The operator said the plane was maneuvering for a spray pass and climbed into at least three power lines, severing two and fraying the third. The plane struck the ground left wing low and came to rest inverted. The wreckage was destroyed in a postaccident fire. Witnesses pulled the unconscious pilot from the burning wreckage. The pilot's medical showed a vision waiver and required the airman to wear corrective lenses. No evidence was found to indicate the pilot wore corrective lenses during this flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4988Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4797
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-G1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Midwest Air Center
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 9,310 total · 700 in this make and model · 8,300 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 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.