Piper PA-25-235 accident near Callaway, Nebraska, August 2, 2001
On August 2, 2001 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4478Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Callaway, Nebraska. 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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight. Contributing to the accident was the muddy field and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2001 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Callaway, Nebraska · 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
- N4478Y · no longer on the register · serial 24-4150
- 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 airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a cornfield after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported he, "... left the airport without fueling the airplane. Made a forced landing in a cornfield. The cornfield was the only available spot." The pilot reported the cornfield was muddy.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 8, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,630 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 15, 2001; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Calloway NE at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BBW, 15 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N4478Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.