What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot stated that he left aledo, IL at approximately 0600 on Tuesday July 15, 2025 with the fuel tank ¾ full and the aircraft holds 234 usable gallons of fuel. He arrived at the strip southeast of Wyoming IL 15-25 minutes later. Once in Wyoming, he added chemical to the hopper and sprayed the first load of the day taking approximately 30-40 minutes. He returned to Wyoming and filled the hopper with approximately 280-300 gallons of product. He hit the flap rocker switch to add some flaps for takeoff and as he began his takeoff roll to the east with the sun in his eyes, he got the main gear to the left of the tracks he had made on the previous take off. The grass was much taller outside of the previously made tracks and he believes this slowed his takeoff roll. When he reached the end of the grass strip, as he pulled back on the stick, this lowered the tail of the aircraft causing the tail struts and spray booms to cut into the beans. This further slowed the plane causing the aircraft to settle back into the beans which were wet with morning dew. Once the aircraft began to settle, the spray bars on the wings became tangled in the beans slowing him even further. When the left main gear collapsed, the aircraft came to rest upright off the east end of the strip. He opened the door to survey the damage and realized the flaps were retracted. He then ran the flaps partially down and then back up. He stated that he has previously noticed an intermittent flap issue in which the flaps would extend fully when the rocker switch was actuated briefly in his turns, but it was an intermittent problem. He did not deploy the dump valve to empty the hopper during the takeoff. The pillot stated that he suffered a cut to his left arm and that he was glad he was wearing a helmet since he hit the left side of the cockpit during the accident.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE LEFT ALEDO, IL AT APPROXIMATELY 0600 ON TUESDAY JULY 15, 2025 WITH THE FUEL TANK ¾ FULL AND THE AIRCRAFT HOLDS 234 USABLE GALLONS OF FUEL. HE ARRIVED AT THE STRIP SOUTHEAST OF WYOMING IL 15-25 MINUTES LATER. ONCE IN WYOMING, HE ADDED CHEMICAL TO THE HOPPER AND SPRAYED THE FIRST LOAD OF THE DAY TAKING APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MINUTES. HE RETURNED TO WYOMING AND FILLED THE HOPPER WITH APPROXIMATELY 280-300 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. HE HIT THE FLAP ROCKER SWITCH TO ADD SOME FLAPS FOR TAKEOFF AND AS HE BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF ROLL TO THE EAST WITH THE SUN IN HIS EYES, HE GOT THE MAIN GEAR TO THE LEFT OF THE TRACKS HE HAD MADE ON THE PREVIOUS TAKE OFF. THE GRASS WAS MUCH TALLER OUTSIDE OF THE PREVIOUSLY MADE TRACKS AND HE BELIEVES THIS SLOWED HIS TAKEOFF ROLL. WHEN HE REACHED THE END OF THE GRASS STRIP, AS HE PULLED BACK ON THE STICK, THIS LOWERED THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING THE TAIL STRUTS AND SPRAY BOOMS TO CUT INTO THE BEANS. THIS FURTHER SLOWED THE PLANE CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SETTLE BACK INTO THE BEANS WHICH WERE WET WITH MORNING DEW. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE, THE SPRAY BARS ON THE WINGS BECAME TANGLED IN THE BEANS SLOWING HIM EVEN FURTHER. WHEN THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED, THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT OFF THE EAST END OF THE STRIP. HE OPENED THE DOOR TO SURVEY THE DAMAGE AND REALIZED THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED. HE THEN RAN THE FLAPS PARTIALLY DOWN AND THEN BACK UP. HE STATED THAT HE HAS PREVIOUSLY NOTICED AN INTERMITTENT FLAP ISSUE IN WHICH THE FLAPS WOULD EXTEND FULLY WHEN THE ROCKER SWITCH WAS ACTUATED BRIEFLY IN HIS TURNS, BUT IT WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. HE DID NOT DEPLOY THE DUMP VALVE TO EMPTY THE HOPPER DURING THE TAKEOFF. THE PILLOT STATED THAT HE SUFFERED A CUT TO HIS LEFT ARM AND THAT HE WAS GLAD HE WAS WEARING A HELMET SINCE HE HIT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT DURING THE 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 N647RA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.