Piper PA-25-235 N7709Z

Summary

On 14 July 2011 at about 01:00 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N7709Z, operated by Strategic Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Minot, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2011 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Minot, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

48.2575, -101.2778

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N7709Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Strategic Air LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Minot → Minot

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA477

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate inspection of the takeoff area which resulted in a collision with terrain and the subsequent loss of control during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was departing from a gravel township road for an aerial application flight. During takeoff, he lowered the left wing to compensate for a crosswind. The left spray boom hit a buildup of dirt that was concealed by tall grass on the side of the road. This resulted in the airplane veering off the left side of the road and into a ditch which caused substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.