Piper PA-25-235 accident near Delta, Utah, May 12, 2007
On May 12, 2007 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7739Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delta, Utah (Delta Municipal Airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in a stall and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2007 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Utah · Delta Municipal Airport · 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
- N7739Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-3916
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness stated that he observed the airplane begin a climb at the end of a spray run on the field. It subsequently made an abrupt bank to the right in a nose high attitude, and then dove toward the terrain. A post impact fire consumed the airplane. The orientation of the wreckage was consistent with the pilot being in a course reversal turn back toward the field for another spray pass at the time of impact. The pilot was an airline pilot and had been conducting agricultural operations part time for the past 5 years and had accumulated about 200 hours in the accident make and model airplane. The accident flight was the first time the pilot had sprayed that specific field. No unusual meteorological phenomena was reported by the closest weather station or observed by witnesses to the accident. An examination of the wreckage revealed that all major components were accounted for at the accident site; flight control continuity could not be established due to the extensive fragmentation and thermal damage of the wreckage. The wreckage and ground scars were consistent with the airplane impacting the terrain in a nose-low, almost vertical attitude.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Delta UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 3:40 pm from DTA
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.