Piper PA-25-235 N7399Z

Summary

On 21 August 2005 at about 21:05 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N7399Z was involved in an accident near Colquitt, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 2005 at 21:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Colquitt, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Colquitt, GA (PVT)

Coordinates

31.1711, -84.7322

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N7399Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colquitt → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL05LA149

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain visual lookout and clearance from obstacles while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tree and subsequent uncontrolled descent into the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been flying spray loads over cotton crops throughout the day. A witness in a residence reported he heard the airplane's engine "cut off and then the crash right after." Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane was inverted at the edge of an open field bordered by a treeline. An approximate 8-inch area on the leading edge of left wing approximately 3 feet inboard of the wing tip was crushed from the leading edge aft to the spar, and the spar was damaged. The wing skin in the crushed area showed circular, accordion-type deformation. A freshly-broken tree limb approximately 5 inches in diameter was on the ground between the treeline and the wreckage, and one tree within the treeline appeared to have a fresh break approximately 60 feet above the ground. The tree with the broken limb appeared to jut further into the field than the other trees in the treeline. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction was observed. The propeller was attached, and each propeller blade showed twist deformation, s-shaped bending, chordwise scratches, and the absence of paint along the leading edge and camber side. The FAA inspector who responded to the scene observed a series of slash-type ground scars in the dirt and grass along the wreckage debris path.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.