Piper PA-36-285 accident near Estelline, Texas, October 10, 1993
On October 10, 1993 at about 8:37 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N57577, was destroyed in an accident near Estelline, 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
CLEARANCE NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1993 · about 8:37 pm local time
- Place
- Estelline, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N57577 · no longer on the register · serial 36-7560115
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE AERIAL APPLICATION TURN AROUND MANEUVER THE LEFT WING STRUCK COTTON TRAILERS AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY HIT TRUCKS PARKED AT A COTTON GIN. AFTER THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST, AS THE PILOT RELEASED THE EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR, HE FELL FROM THE INVERTED AIRPLANE TO THE GROUND. HE WAS SATURATED BY THE CHEMICAL LOAD WHICH SPILLED FROM THE AIRPLANE'S HOPPER. CHEMICAL BURNS AND PARAQUAT DICHLORIDE TOXICITY WERE REPORTED AS THE CAUSE OF DEATH. ACCORDING TO THE REGIONAL FLIGHT SURGEON, THERE WERE NO TRAUMATIC INJURIES SUFFERED DURING THE IMPACT SEQUENCE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,925 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 6-285-CA (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: F21 Memphis TX at 8:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 12 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.