- Date
- June 27, 1985, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Burns, OR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6647ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19850627028669A
- Case key
- 40188
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
During aerial applications the pilot cleared a rise, got a down draft, struck trees and then stalled striking the ground with little forward motion. An intense explosion and fire followed. The fire origin was in the area of the fiberglass fuel tank. An optional fuel tank assembly replacement with a rubber fuel cell liner has been available for years for this aircraft, but this aircraft was equipped with the original fiberglass fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6647Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 252245
- Airframe hours
- 3,881
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Abraham L. Hawley, III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 13, 1985
- Departed
- Burns, OR
- Destination
- Burns, OR
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,521 total · 1,521 in this make and model · 1,205 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BNO, 32 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.