Piper PA-25 accident near Spiritwood, North Dakota, August 3, 1994
On August 3, 1994 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25, registered N6568Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spiritwood, North Dakota (Private Airstrip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the fuselage tubing in the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1994 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spiritwood, North Dakota · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25 · all PA-25s on the register
- Registration
- N6568Z · registry record · serial 25-2116
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon landing on the private airstrip, the airplane started to shudder and veered to the left. The pilot tried to regain directional control by applying the right brake and increasing power, but the pilot states these actions only accelerated the turn. The airplane ground looped and came to rest on the left side of the runway. A postaccident investigation revealed eight inches of the vertical fuselage tubing and the aft diagonal tubing in the empennage near the tailwheel assembly were broken in several locations. Rust was observed on the inside of the tubing wall near the breaks.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,680 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1994; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: AG Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 3:00 pm
- Destination: NONE ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,640 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 345° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI94LA272.