- Date
- November 14, 1988, 11:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Amarillo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8547LPiper PA-25
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881114050619A
- Case key
- 22708
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
Failure on the part of the pilot to maintain the proper airspeed for the maneuver being performed, followed by a stall at an altitude insufficient to recover.
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
While maneuvering for another swath run, the aircraft stalled and collided with the terrain in a steep nose down attitude. A fire erupted and destroyed the aircraft. No evidence of a mechanical malfunction was found. About 8 mi west at Amarillo, TX, the 1100 CST wind was reported to be from 250 deg at 19 gusting 28 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8547L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4567
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Taylor, Windell Stan, doing business as Crop Clinic
- Registered owner
- Taylor, Stanley W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 19 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AMA, 8 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 N8547L · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.