Piper PA-36 accident near Haswell, Colorado, July 17, 1989
On July 17, 1989 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-36, registered N57622, was destroyed in an accident near Haswell, Colorado. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOT (FAILED TO SEE & AVOID) WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE OBSTRUCTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE UNMARKED GUY WIRE & THE PILOT'S LACK OF VISUAL CUES (VISUAL PERCEPTION).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1989 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Haswell, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36 · all PA-36s on the register
- Registration
- N57622 · no longer on the register · serial 36-7660020
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PILOT WAS MAKING A SWATH RUN NEAR A MAJOR POWER LINE, THE ACFT'S RIGHT WING HIT A GUY WIRE THAT WAS ANCHORED ABOUT 95 FT TO THE SIDE OF THE POWER LINE. THE GUY WIRE SEVERED THE RIGHT WING & THE ACFT CRASHED. THE PLT RPRTD THAT IF THE UNMARKED GUY WIRE HAD BEEN MORE VISIBLE, THE ACDNT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,317 hours in all; 2,578 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1989; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7V9 Las Animas CO at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:49 pm from LHX, 12 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.