Piper PA-36-285 N4241U

Summary

On 5 October 1999 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-36-285 registered N4241U was involved in an accident near Brownfield, Texas, 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

5 October 1999 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brownfield, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.1691, -102.2705

Aircraft

Piper PA-36-285

Registration

N4241U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA005

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with power wires while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the sunglare.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was spraying a field using east-west headings. A 115,000-volt power line ran north-south along the eastern edge of the field. According to the FAA inspector and a witness, the pilot completed a spray run to the east and was turning the airplane to a westerly heading, re-entering the field, when the airplane contacted and severed a power transmission wire and a static wire. The airplane impacted the ground about 500 feet west of the power line, and a fire erupted, which consumed the airplane. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, on the night of the accident, sunset occurred at 1929. The accident occurred approximately 1700, 2 1/2 hours before sunset. Toxicological testing revealed a concentration of 4.23 ug/ml of cyanide in a blood sample. This is likely a result of the fire. The toxicological testing was negative for drugs, alcohol, and carbon monoxide.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.