Piper PA-25-235 accident near Wenatchee, Washington, September 7, 1985
On September 7, 1985 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N7340Z, was destroyed in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington. 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
- September 7, 1985 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · 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
- N7340Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-3290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TWO APPLICATION RUNS, PLT APPARENTLY ATTEMPTED TO SHORTEN THE RACE-TRACK PATTERN BY INITIATING THE INBOUND TURN INTO A CANYON. ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB CLEAR OF THE CANYON WALL NEAR COMPLETION OF TURN, BUT LOAD WAS JETTISONED AT THIS POINT AND THE ACFT DESCENDED SHARPLY INTO A SECOND, NARROW CANYON JUST SHORT OF THE OBJECT CROP, WHICH WAS SITUATED ON A PLATEAU, AND IMPACTED TERRAIN, INTENSE GROUND FIRE SUBSEQUENTLY CONSUMED NON-METTALIIC STRUCTURE OF THE ACFT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT IMPACTED WITH HIGH VERTICAL FORCES AND LITTLE FORWARD MOMENTUN. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF ANY MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE IN THE ACFT STRUCTURE, SYSTEMS OR POWERPLANT.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,621 hours in all; 670 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,261 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1985; 118 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from EAT, 6 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.