Piper PA-25-235 accident near Underwood, North Dakota, August 3, 2006
On August 3, 2006 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4693Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Underwood, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power line during the aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2006 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Underwood, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4693Y · registry record · serial 25-4424
- 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 collided with a power line during an aerial application flight. According to witnesses, the airplane was making swath runs to the north and south, and was flying to the north when it contacted the power line. Witnesses reported the airplane flew under the power line during previous passes. A 2-foot long section of the outboard portion of the right wing separated from the airplane wreckage and was located near the power lines. The height of the power line that was contacted was approximately 50 above the ground.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,482 hours in all; 81 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,714 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,261 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5C8 Washburn ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from BIS, 50 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 N4693Y 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.