NTSB Factual Report

On June 28, 1996, at 1240 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-36-375, N2459X, was destroyed by ground impact and post crash fire following a collision with the terrain, near Windfall, Indiana. The accident occurred while the airplane was en route to a farm field to disperse chemicals when the accident occurred. The pilot suffered fatal injuries. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight departed Greentown, Indiana, about 1220.

The manager of the fertilizer company the pilot was working for, said the pilot did not have aeronautical charts of the area. Prior to the flight he borrowed plat maps of the area, in order to locate the farm.

An eyewitness told investigators that he heard the airplane approaching, heading in a direction which would have taken him to the field to be sprayed. He said he saw the airplane pull up abruptly, followed by a sharp left turn to a nose down attitude. He then lost sight of the airplane behind a house.

An on-scene investigation revealed that about 100 yards from the accident site was a high tension power line running across the flight patch of the accident airplane. The power lines were visible from the accident site. The wires were about 50 feet above the ground.

An examination of the airplane failed to reveal any anomalies other than those attributed to the impact and fire.

A post mortem examination of the pilot was conducted on July 1, 1996, at the Indiana University School of Medicine. No preexisting pathology was found during the autopsy. A toxicological examination of specimens from the pilot were conducted and were negative for the drugs screened.

NTSB Probable Cause

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering to avoid an obstruction (transmission line), which resulted in a stall and collision with the terrain. His lack of familiarity with the geographic area was a related factor.