- Date
- February 9, 1997, 11:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Madera, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1900FPiper PA-22-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 14, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970209001469A
- Case key
- 29724
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 from obstructions and his inadequate visual outlook.
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 failed to clear a power line during his twelfth pass while spraying pollen over an almond orchard. The pilot indicated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the collision. The pilot did not hold an aerial application certificate under 14 CFR 137.
Factual narrative
On February 9, 1997, at 1150 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-22-150, N1900F, collided with telephone wires near Madera, California. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as a aerial application flight by the pilot/owner. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot did not hold an agricultural aircraft operator certificate under 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot indicated he was spraying pollen on an almond orchard. The pilot stated, "On entry of the twelvth [twelfth] pass from west to east I failed to clear [a] power line." The pilot also indicated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the collision.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1900F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2651
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hoffrage, William D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 617 total · 334 in this make and model · 574 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAT, 23 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.