Piper PA-25-235/250 accident near Ramona, South Dakota, June 24, 1992
On June 24, 1992 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235/250, registered N4601Y, was destroyed in an accident near Ramona, South Dakota. 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN A VISUAL LOOKOUT WHILE MANEUVERING DURING AERIAL APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 1992 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ramona, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235/250 PA-25-235/ · all PA-25-235/250s on the register
- Registration
- N4601Y · no longer on the register · serial 254293
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION SWATH RUN. IT REMAINED AIRBORNE FOR APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE AND THEN COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN. THE PILOT TOLD LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES THAT HE 'LOOKED DOWN AT HIS GAUGES AND WHEN HE LOOKED UP HE NOTICED HE WAS GOING TO HIT THE TOP OF A TREE.'
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,621 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1992; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Howard SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.