- Date
- August 21, 1998, 20:30 local (Aug 22, 1998, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N123GAAyres S2R-1820
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 28, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980821021719A
- Case key
- 43872
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At the conclusion of the flight, the pilot was landing on a farm airstrip. The airstrip had a high standing crop of barley adjacent to the airstrip. During the landing roll, the right wing spray boom contacted the crop, and the airplane pivoted to the right. The airplane received damage to the left wing leading edge, the aileron, and wing ribs.
Factual narrative
On August 21, 1998, about 2030 Alaska daylight time, an Ayers S2R-1820 airplane, N123GA, sustained substantial damage during landing at a private airstrip about 2 miles northwest of Palmer, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area, aerial application flight under Title 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. The airplane was registered to, and operated by Glenn Air Inc., Palmer. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer, about 1900.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on August 24, 1998, at 0912, the pilot reported the following: He was applying chemicals on several fields. At the conclusion of the spray run, he was landing at a land owner's airstrip, known as Whittaker Farm Airstrip. The airstrip is about 1,800 feet long, and about 30 feet wide. The airstrip had a high standing crop of barley adjacent to the airstrip. During the landing roll, the right wing spray boom contacted the crop, and the airplane pivoted to the right. The airplane received damage to the left wing leading edge, the aileron, and wing ribs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N123GA
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R-1820
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1340-026
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Wright 1820-97, 1,200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Glenn Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 20, 1998 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- PAQ
- Airport
- Whittaker Farm
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 6,400 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.