Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1 accident near Ferney, South Dakota, June 4, 1988
On June 4, 1988 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1, registered N8802Z, was destroyed in an accident near Ferney, 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
- June 4, 1988 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ferney, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1
- Registration
- N8802Z · registry record · serial 1002081
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AG PLT REPORTED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED A 'DUST DEVIL' WHILE IN A CLIMBING TURN DURING A TURNAROUND AT THE END OF A SWATH RUN. HE SAID HE ATTEMPTED TO COUNTER THE TURBULENCE ENDUCED ROLL WITH APPROPRIATE FLT CONTROL INPUTS BUT THE ACFT DID NOT RECOVER AND BEGAN AN OUT-OF-CONTROL DESCENT TO THE GROUND.
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: 1,800 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 899 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 1988; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Husky Spray Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Stratford SD at 12:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Ferney SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 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.