Piper PA-25-260 accident near Decker, Indiana, July 18, 1992
On July 18, 1992 at about 1:20 am local time, a Piper PA-25-260, registered N4766Y, was destroyed in an accident near Decker, Indiana. 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
FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING SPAR, IMPROPER MAINTENANCE/MODIFICATION, AND FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1992 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Decker, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-260 · all PA-25-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4766Y · no longer on the register · serial L-11951-40AC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT STARTED PULL UP FOR REVERSAL TURN IN AERIAL APPLICATION MANEUVER. THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. AIRPLANE CRASHED IN FIELD AND WAS CONSUMED BY POST CRASH FIRE. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED PREEXISTING FATIGUE CRACKS IN LOWER SPAR CAP OF THE RIGHT WING ORIGINATING FROM TWO MISDRILLED HOLES. AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE TO INSPECT FOR WING SPAR FATIGUE CRACKS HAD NOT BEEN COMPLIED WITH.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,001 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1992; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-GIA5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Air Aid, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IN30 Patoka IN at 1:10 am
- Destination: IN30
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.