- Date
- August 3, 2025, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lamoni, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3157BAir Tractor AT-400A
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250803011269A
- Case key
- 200696
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 airplane control during an aborted takeoff.
Findings · 2
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 after loading the airplane with fuel and product, he taxied the full length of the runway and began the takeoff roll. After takeoff, he flew the airplane above the runway in ground effect; however, the airplane settled back to the runway. The pilot stated that he was uncomfortable continuing the takeoff, so he aborted the takeoff by applying brakes and reducing engine power. To avoid nosing the airplane over and locking the tailwheel, he abruptly pulled back on the control stick. The airplane ballooned and came back down hard on the runway. The pilot did not want to impact houses and buildings on the side of the runway, so he kept the airplane aligned with the remaining runway. The airplane impacted shrubs and trees and came to rest in a ditch at the end of the runway. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3157B
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-400A (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 400A-0449
- Built
- 1982
- Airframe hours
- 11,787
- Engine
- Pratt and Whitney PT6A-34, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 91
- Operator
- Black Dog Aviation, doing business as Stardust Ag Aviation
- Registered owner
- Marlow Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 2025
- Airport
- LWD · Lamoni Municipal, runway 36, 3,400 × 60 ft, concrete
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2024
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 8,949 total · 52 in this make and model · 6,421 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KLWD
- METAR
- KLWD 031553Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM FEW036 21/13 A3019
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 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.