- Date
- July 21, 2022, 06:15 local (11:15 UTC)
- Place
- Wyman / Washington, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9899Ayres S2R-T65
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- 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
- FAA report
- 20220721007589A
- Case key
- 105694
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 not maintaining sufficient altitude to clear an obstruction during the aerial application flight.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that while conducting agricultural spraying operations he first circled the field to be sprayed and noted a windmill at the south end of the field. He started to spray the field and when conducting a spray pass lined up with the windmill, he pulled up to clear the windmill, but encountered a “pocket of dead air” which resulted in the airplane hitting the windmill. The pilot returned to the airport and upon landing the airplane’s left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane went off the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9899
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R-T65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T65010DC
- Built
- 1990
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6-65, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Justin Rudd, doing business as Duke's Down Under Dusting
- Registered owner
- Grand Prairie Dusters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Airport
- AWG · Washington Muni
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
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 12, 2021
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,300 total · 25 in this make and model · 4,300 as pilot in command · 105 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.83 inHg
- Observed at
- KAWG, 2 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAWG 211055Z AUTO 27007KT 8SM CLR 19/18 A2983 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.