Piper PA-25-150 accident near Altus, Oklahoma, February 16, 1984
On February 16, 1984 at about 4:26 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-150, registered N6090Z, was destroyed in an accident near Altus, Oklahoma. 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
- February 16, 1984 · about 4:26 pm local time
- Place
- Altus, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-150 · all PA-25-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6090Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A WHEAT FIELD THAT WAS BEING SPRAY, THEN WAS DESTOYED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE PLT WAS AT THE END OF A SWATH RUN WHEN HE GLANCED INTO THE COCKPIT TO VISUALLY CHECK HOW MUCH CHEMICAL WAS REMAINING IN THE HOPPER. REPORTEDLY, THIS DISTRACTION RESULTED IN THE PLT MISJUDGING HIS CLEARANCE ABOVE THE FIELD. THE PLT WAS BADLY BURNED & DIED FROM HIS INJURIES ON 3/13/84.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 12,000 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 14,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,816 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OK82 Altus OK at 4:26 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°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.