Piper PA-25-235 accident near Sicily Island, Louisiana, October 15, 1982
On October 15, 1982 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8520L, was destroyed in an accident near Sicily Island, Louisiana. 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 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
- October 15, 1982 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Sicily Island, Louisiana · 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
- N8520L · no longer on the register · serial 25-4867
- 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 STATED THAT ON HIS LAST SWATH RUN THE LEFT OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE WING COLLIDED WITH A LIGHT POLE AND SEPARATED JAMMING THE AILERON. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE AND CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELEDAND BROKE UP BEFORE COMING TO REST. THE AIRCRAFTS WINDSHIELD WAS COATED WITH SPRAY AND THE SUN ANGLE CREATED A GLARE WHICH INTERFERED WITH THE PILOTS ABILITY TO SEE.
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: 21,400 hours in all; 5,402 in this make and model; 410 in the last 90 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,631 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wisner LA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Wisner LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from MLU
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.