- Date
- July 9, 1991, 05:45 local (11:45 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8787LPiper PA-25C-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910709026739A
- Case key
- 18102
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
Power loss due to fuel contamination. A factor was: pilot's inadequate airplane preflight.
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 said the engine lost power while he was spraying a field. The airplane owner later examined the airplane and reported finding contamination in the fuel tank, fuel screen, and gascolator. FAA said the pilot did not hold a valid operating certification for part 137 operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8787L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25C-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-5473
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-G1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Dulin, James A.
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, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- ELP, 30 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.
Other investigations on N8787L · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.