- Date
- May 25, 2015, 16:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Casselton, ND
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4793YPiper PA 25-260
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150525006659A
- Case key
- 91240
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 monitor the flight environment for adequate terrain/obstacle clearance, which resulted in the inflight collision with power transmission line wires.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During an interview with the Aviation Safety Inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot told the inspector that he was heading back to the airport when he became distracted, looked down at the floor and then looked up just in time to see the wire. The airplane struck power transmission line wires at about 73 feet above the ground. The left wing impacted the ground about 290 feet from the power transmission line wires in the direction of travel, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During an interview with the Aviation Safety Inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot told the inspector that he was heading back to the airport when he became distracted, looked down at the floor and then looked up just in time to see the wire. The airplane struck power transmission line wires at about 73 feet above the ground. The left wing impacted the ground about 290 feet from the power transmission line wires in the direction of travel, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4793Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA 25-260 (260)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4570
- Built
- 1968
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-G2A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- William R. Dittmer
- Registered owner
- William R. Dittmer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2015
- Departed
- 5N8 · Casselton, ND
- Destination
- 5N8 · Casselton, ND
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
- 70
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 12, 2015
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KFAR, 16 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.