Piper PA-25B-235 accident near Montrose, South Dakota, August 26, 1983
On August 26, 1983 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25B-235, registered N4473Y, was destroyed in an accident near Montrose, 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
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 26, 1983 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25B-235 · all PA-25B-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4473Y · registry record · serial 254130
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS SPRAYING A FIELD THAT WAS DIVIDED IN HALF BY A 60 FOOT HIGH POWERLINE. AS HE MADE A TURN TO ENTER THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FIELD, PARALLEL TO THE POWERLINES, FLYING EAST INTO THE SUN, HE STRUCK THE UNSEEN GUY CABLES OUT IN THE FIELD. HE STRUCK THE CABLES WITH THE LEFT WING TIP WHICH THREW THE PLANE INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE ROLL TO THE LEFT. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND WITH ITS NOSE AND LEFT SIDE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 763 hours in all; 432 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 662 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 14, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDS Madison SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from FSD, 21 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.
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.