What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot departed the company private strip and proceeded to the assigned field to begin application. The first swath run was made on a heading of approx. 250 degrees, at about a 40 degree angle to the crop rows. As he made this pass, the left main gear contacted the tops of the furrows, followed by the right main gear some 100 feet further along the flight path. The left main sheared after contacting about ten furrows and the aircraft settled enough to knock the spray pump off the belly of the aircraft. The pilot states that he attempted to pull up since the aircraft was approaching the tree line on the west side of the field. The tail wheel contacted the ground at this point and the aircraft was observed to enter a steep climb over the trees (about 80-90 feet tall). At the same time, a witness on the ground observed black smoke coming from the engine followed by blade rotation slow enough to count the individual blades. The pilot states that he pushed the aircraft over as he cleared the tree line since he apparently did not have sufficient power, and the aircraft landed hard in an adjacent open field. The right main gear sheared off and the aircraft slid approximately 300 feet to a stop. The aircraft turned to the right 180 degrees during the slide. The pilot stated that he felt the aircraft decelerate as he made the pass through the field. He also states that as the aircraft cleared the trees, he felt that he did not have power from the engine and, since he was approaching a stall, he lowered the nose while attempting to keep the wings lever. This resulted in the hard landing in the field.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT DEPARTED THE COMPANY PRIVATE STRIP AND PROCEEDED TO THE ASSIGNED FIELD TO BEGIN APPLICATION. THE FIRST SWATH RUN WAS MADE ON A HEADING OF APPROX. 250 DEGREES, AT ABOUT A 40 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE CROP ROWS. AS HE MADE THIS PASS, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR CONTACTED THE TOPS OF THE FURROWS, FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR SOME 100 FEET FURTHER ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH. THE LEFT MAIN SHEARED AFTER CONTACTING ABOUT TEN FURROWS AND THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ENOUGH TO KNOCK THE SPRAY PUMP OFF THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATES THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL UP SINCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROACHING THE TREE LINE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE FIELD. THE TAIL WHEEL CONTACTED THE GROUND AT THIS POINT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A STEEP CLIMB OVER THE TREES (ABOUT 80-90 FEET TALL). AT THE SAME TIME, A WITNESS ON THE GROUND OBSERVED BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE FOLLOWED BY BLADE ROTATION SLOW ENOUGH TO COUNT THE INDIVIDUAL BLADES. THE PILOT STATES THAT HE PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT OVER AS HE CLEARED THE TREE LINE SINCE HE APPARENTLY DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT POWER, AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD IN AN ADJACENT OPEN FIELD. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR SHEARED OFF AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET TO A STOP. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED TO THE RIGHT 180 DEGREES DURING THE SLIDE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATE AS HE MADE THE PASS THROUGH THE FIELD. HE ALSO STATES THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED THE TREES, HE FELT THAT HE DID NOT HAVE POWER FROM THE ENGINE AND, SINCE HE WAS APPROACHING A STALL, HE LOWERED THE NOSE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO KEEP THE WINGS LEVER. THIS RESULTED IN THE HARD LANDING IN THE FIELD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.