Piper PA-25-235 accident near Lenox, Iowa, May 29, 1986
On May 29, 1986 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7029Z, was destroyed in an accident near Lenox, Iowa (Lenox 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 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 29, 1986 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lenox, Iowa · Lenox · 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
- N7029Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-27
- 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 FENCE DURING A TAKEOFF WITH A FULL LOAD OF CHEMICAL PESTICIDE. COLLISION WITH THE GROUND RESULTED IN A FIRE. THE PLT, WHO WAS SERIOUSLY BURNED AND LATER DIED, STATED ON HIS WAY TO THE HOSPITAL THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO DUMP THE ACFT LOAD BUT GRABBED THE FLAP HANDLE BY MISTAKE WHICH EXTENDED FULL FLAPS. THIS WAS THE PLTS THIRD AG OPERATION ACCIDENT, ONE PREVIOUSLY INVOLVED AN ABORTED TAKEOFF AND CRASH OFF THE END OF A RWY. THE RWY IN USE ON THE DAY OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS GRASS APRX ONE TO TWO FT DEEP OVER ALL BUT A 300 FT SECTION OF MOWED AREA IN MID FIELD THAT WAS USED BY LOCAL FLYERS OF RADIO CONTROLLED MODEL ACFT. THE DENSITY ALT WAS COMPUTED TO BE 2200 FT AND THERE WAS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IN THE AREA NORTH OF THE ARPT AND ABOUT TWO MILES SOUTH OF THE RWY. THE PLTS FLT TIME WAS NOT REPORTED AND HIS LOG BOOKS WERE NOT LOCATED.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,315 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 1986; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Hermes Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0Y9 Lenox IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,950 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from LMN, 35 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.