- Date
- October 24, 1983, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- New River, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4361YPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831024055379A
- Case key
- 24071
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 tow pilot reported that during a takeoff tow with both acft still on the ground, he started to drift right as a gust of wind caught him. The glider pilot decided to release. The tow acft then went 100 yards off the rwy and collided with a parked glider. Wind was gusting 30 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4361Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4866
- Airframe hours
- 3,616
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B285, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Sexton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 5, 1983 · 44 hours before
- Airport
- AZ05 · Pleasant Valley, runway 5, 4,000 × 60 ft, dirt
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
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,440 total · 1,550 in this make and model · 2,350 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 25 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.