Piper PA-25-235 accident near Whitewood, SD
On August 20, 2011, a Piper PA-25-235 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Whitewood, SD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 20, 2011
- Place
- Whitewood, SD
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.481°N, 103.786°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110820X52713
Official records · CEN11LA581
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 20, 2011, about 1139 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 airplane, N7051Z, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain after conducting aerial application work about 5 miles north-northeast of Whitewood, South Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. The agricultural application flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight originated from Sturgis Municipal Airport (49B) about 1030, and was intending to return to Belle Fourche Municipal Airport (EFC) after the flight. The airplane owner stated that the pilot was applying insecticide to an alfalfa field about 12 miles north of 49B. The airplane was fueled the night prior to the accident. The pilot relocated the airplane from EFC to 49B. He subsequently completed three application flights without incident prior to the accident flight. The initial flight was flown with about 100 gallons of the water/chemical mixture and a full fuel load of 65 gallons. The final flight was to complete the application work on the field. The owner noted that the airplane was loaded with about 30 gallons of water/chemical mixture for the field, and about 30 gallons of fuel remained onboard. According to the owner, the pilot was planning return to EFC after completing the application work. A witness located about two miles south of the alfalfa field reported that she observed the ac
Probable cause
The pilot's collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
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Browse: South Dakota · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
