Piper PA-25-260D N9754P

Summary

On 16 May 1998 at about 15:38 local time, a Piper PA-25-260D registered N9754P was involved in an accident near Richfield, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 May 1998 at 15:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Richfield, Utah, United States

Coordinates

38.7493, -112.0994

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-260D

Registration

N9754P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA221

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power; and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering for a forced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot remembered little of the accident. Witnesses said that the pilot had been spraying a field with a 50-50 mixture of Furadan (a weed killer) and Dimate 4E. They reported hearing the engine 'cut out,' 'stall,' or 'stop.' They said the pilot 'got it started again,' then it 'cut out,' 'stalled,' or 'stopped' again. The airplane was then seen to 'dive,' 'nose dive,' or go 'straight down.' An FAA inspector examined the undamaged wing tanks and found no evidence of fuel. No fuel was detected in the gascolator, the fuel line between the gascolator and fuel pump, or the carburetor. A small amount of fuel was found in the carburetor inlet fuel line.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.