Piper PA-25-235 accident near Jay, Florida, May 26, 1983
On May 26, 1983 at about 4:17 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N6770Z, was destroyed in an accident near Jay, Florida. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 26, 1983 · about 4:17 pm local time
- Place
- Jay, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N6770Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-2402
- 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 COLLIDED WITH A TREE WHILE MANEUVERING IN AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE COMPLETING A RUN,TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED WHICH HE BELIEVES WAS RELATED TO A 20 ACRE FIELD BEING BURNED NEARBY. THE ACFT DESCENDED ABOUT 25 FEET IN THE TURBULENCE AND A TREE AT THE END OF THE FIELD COULD NOT BE CLEARED. THE COLLISION WITH THE TREE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. THE ACFT ROLLED 360 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT WITH THE PILOT MANAGING TO GET WINGS LEVEL FOR IMPACT WITH THE GROUND.
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: 1,017 hours in all; 697 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 1,017 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,886 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5-TC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from PNS, 37 miles away
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.