Piper PA-25-235 accident near Lubbock, Texas, May 3, 1982
On May 3, 1982 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7350Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lubbock, Texas (Private airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 3, 1982 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lubbock, Texas · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N7350Z · registry record · serial 25-3302
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN SERVICED IN PREPARATION FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE SPRAYING SEASON. AS PART OF THE SERVICING, THE OPERATOR/PILOT ADDED HYDRAULIC FLUID TO THE LEFT BRAKE. HOWEVER, HE DID NOT PURGE THE SYSTEM OF AIR AFTER ADDING THE FLUID. WHILE LANDING AFTER A SHORT TEST FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT VEERED RIGHT, WENT INTO A SOFT FIELD, AND FLIPPED OVER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 2,975 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 2,909 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,461 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-G1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lubbock TX at 10:10 am
- Destination: Lubbock TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:15 am
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.