Air Tractor AT802 N949TM

Summary

On 11 July 2021 at about 12:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT802 registered N949TM, operated by Midwest Custom Ag Aviation, was involved in an accident near Newell, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 2021 at 12:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Newell, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.6346, -94.9814

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT802

Registration

N949TM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2021

Engines

1

Operator

Midwest Custom Ag Aviation

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pocahontas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA313

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from crops during an agricultural flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was in the process of spraying a corn field and climbed to avoid trees that were in his path. When he descended back toward the field, the airplane settled more than expected and the landing gear and bottom of the airplane hit the corn. The pilot was unable to climb the airplane out of the corn and the left wing hit the ground. The airplane rotated about 180°, bounced, then impacted the ground on the right wing and engine, before it came to rest upright. The pilot was not injured and he stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts, both wings, and empennage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.