Piper PA-25-235 accident near Corning, Iowa, July 2, 1983
On July 2, 1983 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4838Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Corning, Iowa. 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
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
- July 2, 1983 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Corning, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N4838Y · registry record · serial 25-4634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A SWAMP DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE PILOT NOTED A LACK OF OIL PRESSURE AND RISING OIL TEMPERATURE. HE DUMPED HIS LOAD AND BEGAN TO RETURN TO LAND. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND SOON SEIZED. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION SHOWED THE #5 ROD BEARING FAILED DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION. ALSO TWO EXTRA MAGNETO DRIVE CUSHIONS WERE FOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL SUMP NEAR THE OIL PICKUP TUBE. THE ENGINE HAD OPERATED 290 HOURS SINCE THE LAST RECORDED MAGNETO MAINTENANCE BUT IT WAS NOT ESTABLISHED IF THIS WAS THE LAST TIME THEY WERE REMOVED.
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: 901 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 830 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,964 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 17, 1982; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 B2C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.