- Date
- May 11, 2011, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pleasant Grove, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N510CWThrush S2R-T34
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110511008279A
- Case key
- 79094
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 directional control during the landing.
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 stated that he had just completed spraying a field and was landing to the north with what he estimated to be a 12-mile-per-hour tailwind. As the airplane touched down on the main wheels with the tailwheel off the ground, the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the airplane back toward the runway, but it continued to veer left towards a berm. He added full power to attempt to abort the landing, but collided with a trailer near the departure end of the runway. The nearest weather reporting station, located about 8.5 nautical miles south of the accident site, reported wind from 180 degrees at 16 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal flight. The pilot stated that the reloading and refueling equipment is located at the north end of the airstrip and that they always land to the north and take off to the south to save time.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he had just completed spraying a field and was landing to the north with what he estimated to be a 12 mile per hour tailwind. As the airplane touched down on the main wheels with the tailwheel off the ground, the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the airplane back toward the runway, but it continued to veer left towards a berm. He added full power to attempt to abort the landing, but collided with a trailer near the departure end of the runway. At the time of the accident, the nearest weather reporting station, located about 8.5 nm to the south of the accident site reported wind from 180 degrees at 16 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal flight. The pilot noted that the reloading and refueling equipment is located at the north end of the airstrip and they always land to the north and takeoff to the south to save time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N510CW
- Reported as
- Thrush S2R-T34
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T34-277
- Engine
- P&W PT6A SERIES, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Farm Air Flying Services Inc.
- Registered owner
- Farm Air Flying Services Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 30, 2011
- Departed
- pvt · Pleasant Grove, CA
- Destination
- pvt · Pleasant Grove, CA
- Airport
- pvt · West Catlet Private Airstrip, runway 36, 2,400 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2009
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 8,428 total · 879 in this make and model · 8,305 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 166° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- SMF, 85 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 27, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 650 KB 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.