- Date
- June 14, 1989, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Auxvasse, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6579ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890614015589A
- Case key
- 34651
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-in-command's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in an inadvertant stall.
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
A witness observed the airplane flying to the northwest, banking to the northeast before it suddenly went into a 'tailspin' and crashed. The wind was out of the northwest at 7 knots. The airplane was engaged in an aerial application operation when the accident occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6579Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-2133
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Rufener, James E, doing business as Rufener Spraying Service
- Registered owner
- Rufener'S Spraying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 2, 1988
- Departed
- H41 · Mexico, MO
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 601 total · 143 in this make and model · 432 as pilot in command · 161 in the last 90 days · 143 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.