Piper PA-25-235 N386AB

Summary

On 4 July 2026 at about 14:42 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N386AB, operated by Plane and Simple Leasing LLC, was involved in an accident near Forest Lake, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

4 July 2026 at 14:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Forest Lake, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

45.2403, -92.9811

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N386AB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Plane and Simple Leasing LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Forrest Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA242

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On July 4, 2026, about 0942 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 airplane, N386AB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Forest Lake, Minnesota. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 banner tow flight. The pilot reported that he completed a normal preflight inspection and engine runup. After a successful banner hook, the airplane struggled to climb. The pilot increased the throttle and fuel mixture to full, but the airplane could not maintain level flight. The pilot jettisoned the banner, and the airplane continued to lose altitude. The pilot conducted a forced landing into trees resulting in substantial damage to both wings, rudder, and vertical stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. According to FAA Special Airworthiness Bulletin CE-09-35, weather at the time of the accident was conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide power. The pilot reported that he did not turn on the carburetor heat when troubleshooting the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.