Piper PA-25-235 accident near Pullman, Washington, June 26, 1986
On June 26, 1986 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N6490Z, was destroyed in an accident near Pullman, Washington (Staley Airstrip airport). 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
- June 26, 1986 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pullman, Washington · Staley Airstrip · 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
- N6490Z · no longer on the register · serial 25-2010
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF DURING A 180 DEGREE TURN THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED A RAPID RATE OF SINK WHICH THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO ARREST. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DUMP 140 POUNDS OF WATER, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWER LINES AND THEN STRUCK THE GROUND INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN DESTROYED BY FIRE.
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: 1,587 hours in all; 796 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 1,570 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,685 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 13, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Pullman WA at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,800 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.