Piper PA-25-235 accident near Goodway, Alabama, July 8, 1989
On July 8, 1989 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N6941Z, was destroyed in an accident near Goodway, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE LEFT WING WHICH FAILED BECAUSE OF A CORROSION INDUCED FATIGUE FRACTURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1989 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Goodway, Alabama
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N6941Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-2686
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE LEFT WING SEPARATED AND THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE TOP OF A HOUSE. EXAMINATION OF THE WING REVEALED A FATIGUE FRACTURE IN THE WING'S LOWER SPAR CAP. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE REVEALED THAT IT ORIGINATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A RIVET HOLE. INTERGRANULAR CORROSION WAS FOUND AT ONE OF THE HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE FRACTURE ORIGINS. THE OPPOSITE FRACTURE ORIGIN HAD BEEN MECHANICALLY MUTILATED. IN AUG 1977, ALL-METAL WINGS WERE INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE PER A SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,216 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1989; 115 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Goodway AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.