Piper PA-36-285 accident near Marana, Arizona, October 8, 2024
On October 8, 2024 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 1975 Piper PA-36-285, registered N9928P, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Marana, Arizona. 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2024 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Marana, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285, built 1975 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N9928P · registry record · serial 36-7560039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 8, 2024, about 0745 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-36-285, N9928P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. According to the pilot, he had been applying defoliant to a cotton field and completed a spray run. He climbed to approximately 120 ft above ground level (agl), and the airplane would not climb further. The pilot stated that the airplane began to descend due to insufficient engine power. The airplane subsequently impacted multiple residential structures and came to rest in a nose low attitude between two houses. A witness located approximately ½ mile southeast of the accident site, reported that he observed the accident airplane flying toward his yard when it “veered hard left at a knife edge bank angle”, then quickly leveled off. The airplane appeared to lose altitude and then descended out of view. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The landing gear and propeller assembly were found separated from the main wreckage. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,273 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2023; 255 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: n/a Marana AZ at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 am from KRYN, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRYN 081445Z CALMKT 10SM CLR 22/M02 A2993=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA008.