Piper PA-25-235 accident near Ludell, Kansas, August 5, 1983
On August 5, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N4739Y, was destroyed in an accident near Ludell, Kansas. 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
- August 5, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ludell, Kansas · 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
- N4739Y · no longer on the register · serial 25-4320
- 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 STALLED AND CRASHED DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION MANEUVER. THE PILOT SAID THE HEAVILY LOADED ACFT STALLED DURING A TURN. THE ACCIDENT SITE ELEVATION IS ABOUT 3000 FT AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS 90 DEGREES F. THE DENSITY ALT WAS ABOUT 5500 FT. THE PILOT ALSO NOTED MODERATE TURBULENCE IN THE AREA. THE PILOT RECOMMENDATION FOR PREVENTION OF THIS TYPE ACCIDENT IS TO THINK MORE OF THE 'SAFETY OF THE TURNS' RATHER THAN THE TIME SAVED BY STEEP TURNS.
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: 1,009 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 184 in the last 90 days; 879 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1983; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: K60 Atwood KS at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.