- Date
- May 31, 1989, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Scandia, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7450ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890531015639A
- Case key
- 34809
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
Improper planning/decision by the pilot and fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors were the pilot becoming lost/disoriented and small trees.
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 said that he had completed aerial application and became lost while en route back to his base of operation. Subsequently, the engine lost power from fuel exhaustion. During an emergency landing, the aircraft struck small trees and then the terrain, and was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7450Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-3440
- Airframe hours
- 5,739
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Banner, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Banner Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 1988 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- RPB · Belleville, KS
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 938 total · 603 in this make and model · 938 as pilot in command · 252 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CNK, 15 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 N7450Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.