Piper PA-36-375 accident near Lamar, Colorado, May 1, 1987
On May 1, 1987 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-375, registered N2335X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lamar, Colorado (Tinnes May Valley 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).
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
- May 1, 1987 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lamar, Colorado · Tinnes May Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-375 · all PA-36-375s on the register
- Registration
- N2335X · no longer on the register · serial 368202005
- 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 COMMERCIAL PLT WAS ON TAKEOFF FROM A DIRT STRIP WITH A FULLY LOADED AG ACFT, FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLT. AFTER LIFTING OFF PREMATURELY, THE ACFT SETTLED TO THE RWY. THE LEFT WING STRUCK A POST SKIDDING THE ACFT TO THE LEFT. AFTER CROSSING AN IRRIGATION DITCH, THE ACFT CAME TO REST IN A FIELD.
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
- Flight time: 1,690 hours in all; 1,690 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 1,575 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 575 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-D1CD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.