- Date
- September 1, 2021, 08:32 local (13:32 UTC)
- Place
- Storm Lake, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5081WAir Tractor AT-401B
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Des Moines FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210901011429A
- Case key
- 103787
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 airspeed during a landing approach with a tailwind that resulted in a landing overrun and impact with terrain.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial pilot reported that he was attempting to land on dew-covered grass runway following an aerial application flight when the airplane overran the runway and nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident the airplane was landing on runway 31 with wind 110o at 4 knots. The pilot reported that the accident was the result of the airplane being too fast during the final approach with a tailwind and the dew-covered runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5081W
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-401B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401B-1013
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 3,547.6
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Barts Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Barts Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 2021
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SLB · Storm Lake Municipal Airport, runway 31, 2,000 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 16, 2012
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,207 total · 143 in this make and model · 1,156 as pilot in command · 263 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- SLB
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 7, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.