- Date
- May 4, 1990, 19:00 local (May 5, 1990, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Madera, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N45184Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900504022939A
- Case key
- 26557
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 inadvertently descending into the ground. Contributing to the accident was the inflight opening of the hopper lid which partially obscured the pilot's vision.
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 pilot of a crop duster inadvertently flew into the ground while returning to land after the lid to the hopper came open spraying the pilot with the chemical. The chemical partial obscured the visibility of the pilot and when he realized he was descending, the aircraft collided with the ground. The non-current pilot reported no mechanical problems with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45184
- Reported as
- Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2837
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Ray Pool
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 16, 1990 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- Madera, CA
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MFI, 10 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 N45184 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.