Piper PA-25-235 accident near Delta, Utah, July 12, 1999
On July 12, 1999 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7614Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delta, Utah (Dirt AG Strip 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 pilot's delayed aborted takeoff. A factor was the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1999 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Utah · Dirt AG Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N7614Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-3723
- 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 pilot said that this was his first season as an aerial application pilot, and this was his first takeoff from this airstrip. He was on takeoff roll with 80 gallons of applicant and 30 gallons of fuel; and, the takeoff 'seemed long to me.' He reduced the throttle to idle, and began braking. The airplane went beyond the end of the runway, hit an earthen berm, and separated the right main landing gear from the fuselage. One propeller blade and the right wing tip were bent. The pilot reported that the airstrip's elevation was 5,000 feet, the temperature was 70 degrees F., and the altimeter was 30.02 inches of mercury. The density altitude was 6,795 feet. The airplane's maximum gross weight was 2,900 pounds, and the airplane's actual weight was undetermined.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 820 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 790 as pilot in command; 55 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,243 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from U24, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N7614Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.