- Date
- April 23, 1992, 17:16 local (22:16 UTC)
- Place
- Madil, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7603ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920423041669A
- Case key
- 18483
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's failure to maintain adequate clearance with the wires. A factor was the existing sunglare.
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 airplane impacted three power lines while spraying into the setting sun. One of the wires remained entangled to the right wing strut and the pilot elected to land in high vegetation to avoid an inflight lost of control. During landing the airplane collided with several small trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7603Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-3696
- Airframe hours
- 3,522
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- John H. Satterwhite, doing business as Leonard Aerial Application
- Registered owner
- John H. Satterwhite
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 28, 1992 · 28 hours before
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ADM, 22 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.