Piper PA-25-150 accident near Graceville, Minnesota, August 26, 1983
On August 26, 1983 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-150, registered N6253Z, was destroyed in an accident near Graceville, Minnesota. 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 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 26, 1983 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Graceville, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-150 · all PA-25-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6253Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-312
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE SPRAYING A FIELD ADJACENT TO A HOUSE THE ACFT STRUCK A GUY WIRE WHICH HAD BEEN STRUNG BETWEEN A 82 FT TOWER ON THE HOUSE & A 28 FT POLE SUPPORTED BY WIRES.
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: Unknown (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Graceville MN at 11:50 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from AXN, 45 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.