Piper PA-25-235 accident near Falkland, North Carolina, August 29, 1983
On August 29, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4633Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Falkland, North Carolina. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Falkland, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4633Y · no longer on the register · serial 25-4352
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING A PULL-UP FROM A SWATH RUN, THE ACFT BEGAN TO SHAKE & LOSE POWER. HE CONTINUED TO CLIMB WITH FULL THROTTLE & WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE FOR A SHORT TIME, THEN THE ENG HAD A TOTAL POWER LOSS. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A FORCED LANDING. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE #2 EXHAUST VALVE, PN 75068, HAD FAILED. THE ENG HAD 1474 HRS OF FLT TIME SINCE IT WAS OVERHAULED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,528 hours in all; 452 in this make and model; 252 in the last 90 days; 1,431 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Farmville NC at 4:45 pm
- Destination: Falkland NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.