What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Upon receiving notification of an accident that occurred outside of Louise, MS at a private agricultural runway the ASI was dispatched and arrived at 1330 CDT. The runway was surrounded by two and a half to three feet tall cotton plants. Each plant had numerous "bowls" of un-opened cotton on them. The aircraft was positioned approximately 30 feet from the side of the runway in the middle of the cotton field. The aircraft was landing heading 360, with a slight quartering tailwind from left to right. The runway is approximately 2422 ft with the first 1400 ft consisting of compacted soil with the remaining distance being concrete. No noticeable indentations or ruts were observed where the runway changed from soil to concrete. Touchdown marks in the soil indicated that the aircraft was slightly left of runway center, and showed a left drift. The aircraft appeared to touch-down with approximately 1700 ft of runway remaining with 380 ft being compacted soil. As the aircraft drifted to the left, the spray boom and left wing started to impact the cotton plants which exaggerated the left drift. When interviewed the accident pilot stated that he felt the drift, applied right rudder to correct but by the time he responded, the aircraft left drift was being exaggerated by the left spray boom and then left wing being "grabbed" by the cotton bowls on the plants. The aircraft then entered what the pilot reported as a ground loop. The left spray boom separated from the aircraft and was approximately 40 feet behind where the aircraft finally stopped. The right main landing gear strut and wheel separated from the aircraft during the ground loop. As the aircraft slid it is suspected that the right wing, after shearing of the right landing gear absorbed the weight of the aircraft. The main spar of the right wing bent in a 5 to 10 degree upward direction two and a half feet from the wing tip. Upper wing skin above the bend showed compression wrinkling. Substantial damage to the right wing structure classifies this as an accident. Other minor damage to the aircraft skin, propeller blades, and lower rudder were noted. Nine areas of FAA responsibility were investigated with none found to be a factor to this accident.
As the FAA filed it
UPON RECEIVING NOTIFICATION OF AN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED OUTSIDE OF LOUISE, MS AT A PRIVATE AGRICULTURAL RUNWAY THE ASI WAS DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED AT 1330 CDT. THE RUNWAY WAS SURROUNDED BY TWO AND A HALF TO THREE FEET TALL COTTON PLANTS. EACH PLANT HAD NUMEROUS "BOWLS" OF UN-OPENED COTTON ON THEM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET FROM THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COTTON FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING HEADING 360, WITH A SLIGHT QUARTERING TAILWIND FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THE RUNWAY IS APPROXIMATELY 2422 FT WITH THE FIRST 1400 FT CONSISTING OF COMPACTED SOIL WITH THE REMAINING DISTANCE BEING CONCRETE. NO NOTICEABLE INDENTATIONS OR RUTS WERE OBSERVED WHERE THE RUNWAY CHANGED FROM SOIL TO CONCRETE. TOUCHDOWN MARKS IN THE SOIL INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLIGHTLY LEFT OF RUNWAY CENTER, AND SHOWED A LEFT DRIFT. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO TOUCH-DOWN WITH APPROXIMATELY 1700 FT OF RUNWAY REMAINING WITH 380 FT BEING COMPACTED SOIL. AS THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED TO THE LEFT, THE SPRAY BOOM AND LEFT WING STARTED TO IMPACT THE COTTON PLANTS WHICH EXAGGERATED THE LEFT DRIFT. WHEN INTERVIEWED THE ACCIDENT PILOT STATED THAT HE FELT THE DRIFT, APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER TO CORRECT BUT BY THE TIME HE RESPONDED, THE AIRCRAFT LEFT DRIFT WAS BEING EXAGGERATED BY THE LEFT SPRAY BOOM AND THEN LEFT WING BEING "GRABBED" BY THE COTTON BOWLS ON THE PLANTS. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED WHAT THE PILOT REPORTED AS A GROUND LOOP. THE LEFT SPRAY BOOM SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET BEHIND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT FINALLY STOPPED. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT AND WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE GROUND LOOP. AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE RIGHT WING, AFTER SHEARING OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR ABSORBED THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE MAIN SPAR OF THE RIGHT WING BENT IN A 5 TO 10 DEGREE UPWARD DIRECTION TWO AND A HALF FEET FROM THE WING TIP. UPPER WING SKIN ABOVE THE BEND SHOWED COMPRESSION WRINKLING. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING STRUCTURE CLASSIFIES THIS AS AN ACCIDENT. OTHER MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT SKIN, PROPELLER BLADES, AND LOWER RUDDER WERE NOTED. NINE AREAS OF FAA RESPONSIBILITY WERE INVESTIGATED WITH NONE FOUND TO BE A FACTOR TO THIS ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N205SK · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.