Piper PA-25-150 accident near Minden, Nebraska, August 12, 1990
On August 12, 1990 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-150, registered N6358Z, was destroyed in an accident near Minden, Nebraska. 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
A STALL ENCOUNTERED BECAUSE OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PIC. FACTORS WERE A PARTIAL POWERPLANT FAILURE DUE TO CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS, CARBURETOR HEAT NOT USED BY THE PIC, AND LOAD JETTISON NOT PERFORMED BY THE PIC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1990 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-150 · all PA-25-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6358Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-474
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EXECUTING AN AERIAL APPLICATION TURN-AROUND MANEUVER, THE PLT SAID THAT THE POWERPLANT SEEMED TO LOSE POWER. THE ACFT STALLED, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN, SLID TO A STOP, THEN BURST INTO FLAMES. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING AT THE TIME, AND POST ACCIDENT ENGINE INSPECTION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS.
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
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,263 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1990; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from EAR, 20 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 N6358Z 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.