ERA26FA214

On May 26, 2026, about 1347 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 airplane, N8656L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Saratoga Springs, New York. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 glider aerotow flight. The airplane was conducting an aerotow of a Schleicher ASW27 glider, N321ER via the glider’s center of gravity tow hook at Saratoga County Airport (5B2), Saratoga Springs, NY. Surveillance video showed that shortly after liftoff, at an altitude of about 200 ft, the glider pitched up and climbed above the towplane, pulling the tail of the towplane up and pitching its nose down. The glider pilot reported that he made several attempts to release before successfully separating from the towplane. The towplane did not recover from the upset, and subsequently impacted the runway, and a postcrash fire ensued. The glider returned to the airport and landed uneventfully. The towplane impacted about 50 ft right of the runway centerline in a nose down attitude and came to rest about 1,000 ft from the departure end of the runway. The debris path was oriented on a 330° magnetic heading and was about 100 ft in length from the initial impact point to the main accident site. At the initial impact point, two gouges about 1/2- to 3/4-inch-deep were observed in the asphalt, consistent with a propeller strike. Adjacent to the propeller strikes marks were rows of paint transfer consistent with wing contact. Thermal damage to the asphalt extended from the initial impact point to the main wreckage, and about 1 acre of grass adjacent to the runway was burned. The majority of the airplane was consumed by postcrash fire. The main landing gear was impact separated from the fuselage and located along the wreckage path. All the flight control surfaces remained attached to their respective attach points. The flap control lever was positioned to the flaps retracted position. The left aileron drive cable was separated about 11-inches from the wing root, the cable ends exhibited a splayed, broomstrawed appearance, consistent with a tension overload separation. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all the flight controls except where separations were noted consistent with tension overload. The tow rope release latch and associated cable were continuous from the cockpit to the tail mounted latch mechanism. The engine was partially separated from the airframe and exhibited impact and thermal damage. Engine control continuity was established from the cockpit to the engine. The carburetor and oil sump were partially consumed by fire. Thermal damage precluded field tests of the magnetos. Crankshaft and valvetrain continuity was established during hand rotation of the crankshaft, with compression and suction observed on all six-cylinders. A borescope examination revealed no anomalies within the cylinders. The two-bladed, aluminum, fixed-pitch propeller wasimpact separated from the engine. One blade exhibited longitudinal twisting, leading-edge gouges, and chordwise abrasion at its outboard area. The other blade was bent aft about 20° midspan. The spinner was crushed aft and exhibited torsional deformation. The tow rope was located about 25 ft before the initial impact point. It measured about 195 ft in length and was constructed of twisted polypropylene. The weak link and metal rings remained intact and thermal damage was noted at both ends of the rope. Functional testing in the field confirmed that the tow rope latch mechanisms on both the glider and towplane were operational. Both aircraft were retained for further examination.