Piper PA-25-235 accident near Burt, New York, May 30, 1994
On May 30, 1994, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N8688L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burt, New York. 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1994
- Place
- Burt, New York · 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
- N8688L · no longer on the register · serial 25-5141
- 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 WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL SPRAYING OF AN ORCHARD. HE HAD COMPLETED 12 PASSES AND WAS MANEUVERING FOR THE LAST PASS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS HEADED IN 'AN EASTERLY DIRECTION, WENT INTO AN AG TURN, TO HEAD WEST, WHEN AIRCRAFT WAS IN WESTERLY DIRECTION, STILL IN TURN, WE HIT TREES AND GROUND. ACCORDING TO THE FAA, THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED OF 80 MPH IN THE TURN AND THE AIRPLANE STALLED.
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: 2,048 hours in all; 1,780 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 1,942 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1994; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.