Piper PA-36-285 accident near Brownfield, Texas, October 5, 1999
On October 5, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N4241U, was destroyed in an accident near Brownfield, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with power wires while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the sunglare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brownfield, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N4241U · no longer on the register · serial 36-7660134
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was spraying a field using east-west headings. A 115,000-volt power line ran north-south along the eastern edge of the field. According to the FAA inspector and a witness, the pilot completed a spray run to the east and was turning the airplane to a westerly heading, re-entering the field, when the airplane contacted and severed a power transmission wire and a static wire. The airplane impacted the ground about 500 feet west of the power line, and a fire erupted, which consumed the airplane. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, on the night of the accident, sunset occurred at 1929. The accident occurred approximately 1700, 2 1/2 hours before sunset. Toxicological testing revealed a concentration of 4.23 ug/ml of cyanide in a blood sample. This is likely a result of the fire. The toxicological testing was negative for drugs, alcohol, and carbon monoxide.
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
- Flight time: 1,336 hours in all; 559 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2000; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from LBB, 30 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.