Piper PA-25-235 accident near Breckenridge, Texas, June 10, 1994
On June 10, 1994 at about 1:56 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4492Y, was destroyed in an accident near Breckenridge, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC. FACTORS WERE THE WEATHER AND THE LACK OF FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1994 · about 1:56 pm local time
- Place
- Breckenridge, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4492Y · no longer on the register · serial 25-4055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FORCED TO RETURN TO HIS HOME BASE AFTER ENCOUNTERING A LOCALIZED AREA OF THICK FOG A FEW MILES AWAY FROM HIS POINT OF DEPARTURE. THE FLAGGERS AT THE FIELD TO BE SPRAYED CONTACTED THE PILOT AND REPORTED THAT THE WEATHER AT THEIR LOCATION HAD CLEARED. THE PILOT TOOK OFF AGAIN AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTINUE HIS VFR FLIGHT TO THE FIELD TO BE SPRAYED. THE PILOT REPORTED ON THE RADIO THAT THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT AS GOOD AS HE HAD HOPED AND THAT HE WAS TRYING TO FIND A WAY AROUND THE FOG. VISIBILITY IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS REPORTED TO BE AS LOW AS FIVE FEET, AND AS HIGH AS 150 FEET. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT AND THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE ANY RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,610 hours in all; 2,072 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,352 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1994; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BKD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0.1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°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.