Piper PA-25-235 accident near Mapleton, North Dakota, June 11, 2005
On June 11, 2005 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8619L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mapleton, North Dakota. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain clearance from an object during the precautionary landing. The heavy rain and the unknown object were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2005 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mapleton, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8619L · registry record · serial 25-5049
- 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 was damaged during an off-airport precautionary landing. The pilot reported that he encountered heavy rain and landed in a soybean field. Weather reports for the vicinity listed heavy rain and visibilities of 1/2 to 3/4 statute mile. The right wing was damaged due to impact with an unknown object.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 2ND0 Mapleton ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.55 inHg
- Observation at 8:03 pm from FAR, 14 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.
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.