Piper PA-36 accident near Floydada, Texas, March 4, 1982
On March 4, 1982 at about 6:00 am local time, a Piper PA-36, registered N2394Y, was destroyed in an accident near Floydada, 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 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
- March 4, 1982 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Floydada, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36 · all PA-36s on the register
- Registration
- N2394Y · no longer on the register · serial 368102008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 500 FT NORTH OF THE FIELD THAT WAS BEING SPRAYED. AFTER IMPACT, IT TRAVELED ABOUT 90 FT ON A HEADING OF 060 DEGREES. GREEN GLASS FRAGMENTS WERE FOUND AT THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT AS WELL AS PROPELLER SLASH MARKS THAT WERE NEARBY. NO KNOWN WITNESSES OBSERVED THE CRASH. THE FLAGGER REPORTED THAT HE HAD DEPARTED WHEN THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED SPRAYING EXCEPT FOR CLEANUP SWATHS.
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: 4,424 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 160 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Floydada TX at 10:00 am
- Destination: Floydada TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 149°F (65°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.