- Date
- July 31, 1995, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Shelley, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8808LPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950731021149A
- Case key
- 42210
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 left main landing gear tire burst during takeoff.
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 the takeoff ground roll on a rough airstrip, the left main landing gear tire blew out. As the pilot was correcting for the situation, the right wing contacted the grain growing along the border of the airstrip. The airplane veered into the field and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 1995, at 1030 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-25- 235, N8808L, nosed over in an open field near Shelley, Idaho, after a main landing gear tire blew during the take off ground roll. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local aerial application flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries.
The pilot reported that during the take off ground roll on a rough dirt airstrip, the left main landing gear tire blew out. The pilot stated that as he was correcting for the situation, the right wing contacted the grain growing along the boarder of the airstrip. The airplane veered into the field and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8808L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-5306
- Airframe hours
- 4,790
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- William A. Christensen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1994 · 260 hours before
- Airport
- runway 18, 4,000 × 75 ft, dirt
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 6,000 in this make and model · 8,700 as pilot in command · 260 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
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 N8808L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.