Piper PA-25-260 accident near Toston, Montana, June 18, 1986
On June 18, 1986 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-260, registered N82539, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toston, Montana. 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).
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
- June 18, 1986 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Toston, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-260 · all PA-25-260s on the register
- Registration
- N82539 · no longer on the register · serial 7756054
- 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 PLT REPORTS THAT HE TOOK OFF FROM AN AG STRIP ABOUT A MILE FROM THE FLD BEING TREATED AND WAS MAKING A TURN-AROUND AFTER HIS SECOND SWATH RUN WHEN THE ACFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. HE DUMPED HIS CHEM BUT THE ACFT CONTINUED TO SETTLE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PLT SAID THE TURN-AROUND WAS BEING MADE BESIDE A BUTTE AND HE ENCOUNTERED 'BAD AIR.' THE DENSITY ALT AT THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE ACDT IS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 5,000 FT. THE PLT SAID THERE WAS NO MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG.
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: 2,329 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,806 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 1986; 133 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-G1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from BZN, 22 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.