Piper PA-25-260 accident near Lamar, Colorado, August 31, 1983
On August 31, 1983 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-260, registered N7606Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lamar, Colorado (Lamar airport). 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
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 31, 1983 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lamar, Colorado · Lamar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-260 · all PA-25-260s on the register
- Registration
- N7606Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-3703
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION MANEUVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FINISHED THE SECOND SPRAY RUN AND WHILE IN A TURN THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND ON FLAT TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT REMEMBER ANYMOREABOUT THE FLT. A FUEL SPILL FIRE STARTED AFTER THE CRASH. THE CHEMICAL SPILL FROM THE RUPTURED HOPPER EXTINGUISHED THE BLAZE.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 116 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command; 3,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,335 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 1983; 215 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-G1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LAA Lamar CO at 8:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.