Piper PA-36-285 accident near Osteen, Florida, October 31, 1990
On October 31, 1990 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N9926P, was destroyed in an accident near Osteen, Florida. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1990 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Osteen, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N9926P · no longer on the register · serial 36-7560036
- 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 DEPARTED FROM A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP TO CONDUCT AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS AT 100 FEET AGL MANEUVERING TO MAKE AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAY RUN OF CHEMICALS TO THE SOUTH WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO CLEAR WIRES. THE LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED. THE CAUSE FOR TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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: 3,959 hours in all; 380 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,902 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 1990; 342 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CA2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Potters Flyers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Zellwood FL at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from MCO, 25 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.