CEN25LA304

On August 6, 2025, about 1300 central daylight time, a Ayres Corporation S2R-G6, airplane, registration N2239V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Slayton, Minnesota. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight. The operator stated the weather conditions were favorable with clear skies and less than 10 knots of wind. The airplane was lightly loaded to about 30-40% of its total capacity. The pilot had flown about 40-50 hours in the accident airplane and had reported no previous maintenance issues. Nothing was noted in the morning pre-flight inspection of the airplane. The pilot told the operator he was about 200 ft above the ground in a fairly flat left turn, getting lined up for the first spray pass of the flight, when the controls locked up and he could not return them to center using both hands. The pilot tried to use rudder inputs but did not have enough altitude to make the recovery. The pilot stated he had engine power and was at about 120 knots and was adamant that the airplane did not stall. The airplane impacted terrain in a left wing low attitude and cartwheeled to a stop, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and wings. The accident site was documented, and the airplane will be recovered to a secure facility for further examination.