Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Ray, ND
The airplane sustained substantial damage when the airplane stalled during takeoff and impacted the terrain. The pilot reported he had returned to the airstrip in order to fix a plugged spray nozzle. He landed on the southwest runway of the grass airstrip. Once the nozzle was fixed he departed to the northeast. He reported he departed on the northeast runway due to a construction crane located at the southwest end of the runway. He estimated he departed with a 3-4 knot tailwind. He reported, "Upon liftoff, enough airspeed was not obtained to be able to clear the tree row. Once out of ground effect, a stall occurred which may have come from a downdraft + or the possibility of a spark plug fowling while idling to fix nozzle." He reported, "Upon realizing the stall, power was pulled back + had to land in grain field."
The pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane during takeoff. A factor was the tailwind.
On August 14, 2002, at 0850 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N7634Z, sustained substantial damage when the airplane stalled during takeoff and impacted the terrain in a wheat field near Ray, North Dakota. The commercial pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was departing from a private grass airstrip on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. The pilot reported he had returned to the airstrip in order to fix a plugged spray nozzle. He landed on the southwest runway of the grass airstrip. Once the nozzle was fixed he departed to the northeast. He reported he departed on the northeast runway due to a construction crane located at the southwest end of the runway. He estimated he departed with a 3-4 knot tailwind. He reported, "Upon liftoff, enough airspeed was not obtained to be able to clear the tree row. Once out of ground effect, a stall occurred which may have come from a downdraft + or the possibility of a spark plug fowling while idling to fix nozzle." He reported, "Upon realizing the stall, power was pulled back + had to land in grain field."