Mapleton, ND, USA
N8619L
Piper PA-25-235
The airplane was damaged during an off-airport precautionary landing. The pilot reported that he encountered heavy rain and landed in a soybean field. Weather reports for the vicinity listed heavy rain and visibilities of 1/2 to 3/4 statute mile. The right wing was damaged due to impact with an unknown object.
On June 11, 2005, at 1500 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N8619L, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage during a precautionary landing to a soy bean field near Mapleton, North Dakota. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was operating in instrument meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured. The origin and time of origin of the flight has not been determined. At 1453, the recorded weather at the Hector International Airport (FAR), Fargo, North Dakota, located about 14 miles northeast of the accident was: Wind 350 degrees at 11 knots; visibility 3/4 statute miles; sky condition few clouds at 600 feet, 1,600 broken, 2,600 overcast; significant weather, heavy rain and mist; temperature 18 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.56 inches of Mercury. At 1503, the recorded weather at FAR was: Wind 010 degrees at 8 knots; visibility 1/2 statute miles; sky condition few clouds at 600 feet, 1,400 broken, 2,100 overcast; significant weather, heavy rain and fog; temperature 18 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.56 inches of Mercury. At 1514, the recorded weather at FAR was: Wind 050 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 3/4 statute miles; sky condition 400 feet broken, 1,600 feet broken, 2,600 feet overcast; significant weather, heavy rain and mist; temperature 18 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.55 inches of Mercury. The pilot initially reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had flown into very heavy rain and had landed in a soybean field. He told the inspector that he was attempting to get to Kraft Field, Mapleton, North Dakota. The pilot did not file a written report of the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the right wing consistent with an impact with an object. It is not known what the object was.
The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain clearance from an object during the precautionary landing. The heavy rain and the unknown object were factors.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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