Summary
On August 14, 2002, a Piper PA-25-235 (N7634Z) was involved in an incident near Ray, ND. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane during takeoff. A factor was the tailwind.
On August 14, 2002, at 0850 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N7634Z, sustained substantial damage when the airplane stalled during takeoff and impacted the terrain in a wheat field near Ray, North Dakota. The commercial pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was departing from a private grass airstrip on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported he had returned to the airstrip in order to fix a plugged spray nozzle. He landed on the southwest runway of the grass airstrip. Once the nozzle was fixed he departed to the northeast. He reported he departed on the northeast runway due to a construction crane located at the southwest end of the runway.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI02CA248. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7634Z.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane during takeoff. A factor was the tailwind.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 14, 2002, at 0850 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N7634Z, sustained substantial damage when the airplane stalled during takeoff and impacted the terrain in a wheat field near Ray, North Dakota. The commercial pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was departing from a private grass airstrip on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported he had returned to the airstrip in order to fix a plugged spray nozzle. He landed on the southwest runway of the grass airstrip. Once the nozzle was fixed he departed to the northeast. He reported he departed on the northeast runway due to a construction crane located at the southwest end of the runway. He estimated he departed with a 3-4 knot tailwind. He reported, "Upon liftoff, enough airspeed was not obtained to be able to clear the tree row. Once out of ground effect, a stall occurred which may have come from a downdraft + or the possibility of a spark plug fowling while idling to fix nozzle." He reported, "Upon realizing the stall, power was pulled back + had to land in grain field."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI02CA248