Piper PA-25-235 N7403Z

Summary

On 11 May 1995 at about 21:20 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N7403Z was involved in an accident near Peoria, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 May 1995 at 21:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Peoria, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Pleasant Valley Airport (AZ05)

Coordinates

33.6496, -112.2391

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N7403Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX95LA183

1 person died.

the pilot's inflight loss of control due to his delay in releasing the glider after the towed glider experienced an unplanned altitude gain on takeoff when it encountered a dust devil.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A WITNESS STATED THAT THE TOW PLANE ENCOUNTERED A 'DUST DEVIL' BETWEEN 100 AND 200 FEET AGL. HE THEN SAW THE GLIDER ENCOUNTER THE 'DUST DEVIL' AND GAIN ALTITUDE ABOVE THE TOW PLANE UNTIL THE TOW ROPE FORMED A 30- TO 45-DEGREE ANGLE. THE NOSE OF THE TOW PLANE THEN DROPPED AND THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. THE TOW ROPE WAS FOUND TO HAVE SEPARATED AFT OF THE TOW PLANE TOW RING. THE ROPE, WITH THE TOW RING ATTACHED, WAS LOCATED NEAR THE AIRCRAFT. THE REMAINDER OF THE ROPE, WITH THE GLIDER TOW RING ATTACHED, WAS FOUND BACK ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH. AN INSPECTION OF THE TOW PLANE HOOK RELEASE MECHANISM FOUND IT TO BE IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE MECHANISM OPENED ON IMPACT BASED ON THE SEPARATION OF THE TOW ROPE AND THE PROXIMITY OF THE ROPE TO THE TOW PLANE HOOK, AS WELL AS THE APPARENT SNAP BACK OF THE REMAINDER OF THE ROPE AWAY FROM THE CRASH SITE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.