Piper PA-25-235 accident near Lamesa, Texas, November 4, 1988
On November 4, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N75217, was destroyed in an accident near Lamesa, 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
- November 4, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lamesa, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N75217 · registry record · serial 25-3561
- 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 OF COTTON, AND WAS IN A TURNAROUND WHEN THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. THE AUTOPSY INDICATED THE PILOT DIED OF ACUTE CORONARY THROMBOSIS. ALTHOUGH TOX RESULTS INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF ALCOHOL IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD, THE SAMPLE WAS PUTRIFIED. NO ALCOHOL WAS FOUND IN THE URINE. BECAUSE THE BLOOD SAMPLE WAS PUTRIFIED, THE RELATIONSHIP OF ALCOHOL TO THE ACCIDENT CAUSE COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED.
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: 2,100 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,304 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2F5 Lamesa TX at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.