- Date
- June 19, 2008, 06:40 local (13:40 UTC)
- Place
- Lodi, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3859EPiper PA-36-375
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080619839779A
- Case key
- 68272
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 inadequate in-flight decision to continue the flight into an area of obscured visibility and his failure to maintain clearance above obstacles.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot was flying low over a grape vineyard to apply sulfur dust to the crop. He had made two application runs with no problems encountered. As he set up for the third run, he observed that the sulfur applied on the previous two runs had aggregated into a cloud and had drifted through the area in which he would be flying. He decided to continue the application run, and lost all visual contact with the ground as the airplane flew into the sulfur dust cloud. The left wing hit a grape trellis, which pulled the airplane down and to the left. The airplane traveled 150 yards on top of the grape trellises before stopping inverted on the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane during the flight.
Factual narrative
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was flying low over a grape vineyard to apply sulfur dust. After making two application runs, he began a third run, and observed that sulfur dust from the previous two runs had drifted into the area through which he would be flying. He continued the run, and lost all visual contact with the ground as the airplane entered the sulfur dust cloud. He felt the left wing hit a grape trellis, which pulled the airplane down and to the left. The airplane traveled 150 yards on top of the grape trellises before stopping inverted on the ground. The pilot indicated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3859E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36-375
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36-7802028
- Airframe hours
- 9,651
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- H And R Aerial Enterprises Inc, doing business as San Joaquin Air
- Registered owner
- Jack Roberts/Gene Hamner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2008
- Departed
- O20 · Lodi, CA
- Airport
- O20 · Kingdon Airpark
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2008
- Flight hours
- 22,000 total · 5,700 in this make and model · 57 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N3859E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.