What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The airman was spraying his 3rd load of the day on a field on the canadian side of the U.S./canadian border. The owner of the company stated that the local winds began to gust up to 30 knots and that he texted the airman to return to base, as winds were no longer suitable for spraying. When the airman failed to return to base, a co-worker was sent to look for him. When he arrived at the field that was being sprayed, he could see the accident site and emergency personnel.
At the crash site, the debris field was about 150 feet in length from north north west to south south east. The aircraft came to a rest on the pilot?s left side. Noticeable crop kill was noted in an approximately circular pattern with an estimated diameter of 75 feet beginning about the location of the spray equipment and extending to the aircraft. The accident lead to a post-crash fire that consumed the center portions of each wing and part of the forward fuselage.
Investigation suggests that initial scar marks were made by the pilot?s left wing. In close proximity to the initial scar marks was the left wing tip. About 40 feet from the initial markings were indications of a wheel imprint followed by an area of dug out and loosened soil consistent with spinner and propeller impacts. Just after this area was the spray pump and equipment. About 24 feet from the wheel marks and to the east was a rectangular type area were the crops was cut down to the ground and bent over. This area contained the right wing light assembly and green lens cover. About 100 feet from the initial scar in the center of the accident path was the spinner-propeller and the right wing flap. After this area was found glass from the cockpit, the pilot?s cell phone, and GPS unit. The aircraft came to rest on the pilot?s left side with the right wing laying over the left wing. The aircraft engine was perpendicular to the fuselage. The empennage of the aircraft show only minor damage.
It is surmised that the aircraft contacted the crop left wing low in a low altitude downwind turn, followed by the right wheel impacting the surface. The aircraft nosed down scarring the ground and turning clockwise where the right wing contacted the surface. The aircraft became inverted impacting the surface again with the spinner and propeller depositing both along with right wing elevator. The forward portion of the aircraft cockpit then impacted the ground damaging the windows and cockpit and depositing glass, cell phone, and GPS. The aircraft continued the rotation/roll with both wings ending up on the east side of the fuselage.
The pilot sustained serious injuries and the NTSB has stated that he does not remember anything about the accident at this time.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRMAN WAS SPRAYING HIS 3RD LOAD OF THE DAY ON A FIELD ON THE CANADIAN SIDE OF THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER. THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY STATED THAT THE LOCAL WINDS BEGAN TO GUST UP TO 30 KNOTS AND THAT HE TEXTED THE AIRMAN TO RETURN TO BASE, AS WINDS WERE NO LONGER SUITABLE FOR SPRAYING. WHEN THE AIRMAN FAILED TO RETURN TO BASE, A CO-WORKER WAS SENT TO LOOK FOR HIM. WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE FIELD THAT WAS BEING SPRAYED, HE COULD SEE THE ACCIDENT SITE AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL.
AT THE CRASH SITE, THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS ABOUT 150 FEET IN LENGTH FROM NORTH NORTH WEST TO SOUTH SOUTH EAST. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST ON THE PILOT?S LEFT SIDE. NOTICEABLE CROP KILL WAS NOTED IN AN APPROXIMATELY CIRCULAR PATTERN WITH AN ESTIMATED DIAMETER OF 75 FEET BEGINNING ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE SPRAY EQUIPMENT AND EXTENDING TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE ACCIDENT LEAD TO A POST-CRASH FIRE THAT CONSUMED THE CENTER PORTIONS OF EACH WING AND PART OF THE FORWARD FUSELAGE.
INVESTIGATION SUGGESTS THAT INITIAL SCAR MARKS WERE MADE BY THE PILOT?S LEFT WING. IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE INITIAL SCAR MARKS WAS THE LEFT WING TIP. ABOUT 40 FEET FROM THE INITIAL MARKINGS WERE INDICATIONS OF A WHEEL IMPRINT FOLLOWED BY AN AREA OF DUG OUT AND LOOSENED SOIL CONSISTENT WITH SPINNER AND PROPELLER IMPACTS. JUST AFTER THIS AREA WAS THE SPRAY PUMP AND EQUIPMENT. ABOUT 24 FEET FROM THE WHEEL MARKS AND TO THE EAST WAS A RECTANGULAR TYPE AREA WERE THE CROPS WAS CUT DOWN TO THE GROUND AND BENT OVER. THIS AREA CONTAINED THE RIGHT WING LIGHT ASSEMBLY AND GREEN LENS COVER. ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE INITIAL SCAR IN THE CENTER OF THE ACCIDENT PATH WAS THE SPINNER-PROPELLER AND THE RIGHT WING FLAP. AFTER THIS AREA WAS FOUND GLASS FROM THE COCKPIT, THE PILOT?S CELL PHONE, AND GPS UNIT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE PILOT?S LEFT SIDE WITH THE RIGHT WING LAYING OVER THE LEFT WING. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE FUSELAGE. THE EMPENNAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOW ONLY MINOR DAMAGE.
IT IS SURMISED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE CROP LEFT WING LOW IN A LOW ALTITUDE DOWNWIND TURN, FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT WHEEL IMPACTING THE SURFACE. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED DOWN SCARRING THE GROUND AND TURNING CLOCKWISE WHERE THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED THE SURFACE. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME INVERTED IMPACTING THE SURFACE AGAIN WITH THE SPINNER AND PROPELLER DEPOSITING BOTH ALONG WITH RIGHT WING ELEVATOR. THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT COCKPIT THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND DAMAGING THE WINDOWS AND COCKPIT AND DEPOSITING GLASS, CELL PHONE, AND GPS. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THE ROTATION/ROLL WITH BOTH WINGS ENDING UP ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE.
THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE NTSB HAS STATED THAT HE DOES NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE ACCIDENT AT THIS TIME.