Piper PA-25-235 accident near Scandia, Kansas, May 31, 1989
On May 31, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7450Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scandia, Kansas. 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
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT AND FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT BECOMING LOST/DISORIENTED AND SMALL TREES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Scandia, Kansas · 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
- N7450Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-3440
- 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 PILOT SAID THAT HE HAD COMPLETED AERIAL APPLICATION AND BECAME LOST WHILE EN ROUTE BACK TO HIS BASE OF OPERATION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ENGINE LOST POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SMALL TREES AND THEN THE TERRAIN, AND WAS DAMAGED.
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: 938 hours in all; 603 in this make and model; 252 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 938 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,739 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1988; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2C5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Banner, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RPB Belleville KS at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from CNK, 15 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.