Summary
On June 07, 2000, a Piper PA-25-235 (N8515L) was involved in an accident near Maddock, ND. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: Aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot. Factors to the accident were the turbulent weather condition, the inadvertent stall, and the inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot.
On June 7, 2000, at 1138 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N8515L, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain and subsequent ground-fire while conducting an aerial application mission near Maddock, North Dakota. Visual metrological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot reported serious injuries.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CHI00LA151. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8515L.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot. Factors to the accident were the turbulent weather condition, the inadvertent stall, and the inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 7, 2000, at 1138 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N8515L, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain and subsequent ground-fire while conducting an aerial application mission near Maddock, North Dakota. Visual metrological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot reported serious injuries. The flight departed a private airstrip near Maddock, North Dakota, at exact time unknown.
According to an interview with the pilot, conducted by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration Fargo Flight Standards District Office, he was conducting an aerial application mission when the aircraft encountered "dead air" during a turn following the completion of a spray-run. The pilot reported that the aircraft stalled, impacting the terrain. The pilot stated that after he evacuated the airplane it exploded and was consumed in a post-accident fire. The pilot reported that the weather conditions were getting turbulent and he should have terminated the aerial application flights earlier in the day.
According to an annotation to a diagram provided by the pilot, "Run into turbulins [turbulence] and plane stalled crashed here".
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI00LA151