NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN12LA236
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot did not maintain sufficient airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.
Factual narrative
On April 9, 2012, at 0930 central daylight time, an Ayres Corporation model S2R-T15 airplane, N64DX, was substantially damaged when it collided with a tower guy-wire during an aerial-application flight near Lakin, Kansas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Tri Rotor Spray & Chemical, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that originated from Lakin Airport (36K), Lakin, Kansas, about 0920. The pilot reported that he had the tower in sight as he maneuvered back toward the field being sprayed. While in the turn, the airplane began to shudder as if entering an aerodynamic stall. The pilot reduced elevator input in an attempt to recover from the aerodynamic stall as he continued the turn to avoid the tower. He stated that the airplane was descending rapidly when the right wing collided with a tower guy-wire. The airplane subsequently collided with the terrain. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The closest weather observing station was at the Garden City Regional Airport (KGCK), located about 25 miles east of the accident site. At 0930, the KGCK automated surface observing system reported the following weather conditions: wind 160 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 5 miles with mist; scattered clouds at 800 feet above ground level (agl) and an overcast ceiling at 1,500 feet agl; temperature 13 degrees Celsius; dew point 12 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.14 inches of mercury. The accident occurred during an aerial-application flight as the pilot maneuvered around a tower. The pilot reported that he had the tower in sight as he maneuvered toward the field being sprayed, and during that turn, the airplane began to shudder as if entering an aerodynamic stall. The pilot attempted to recover from the aerodynamic stall by reducing the elevator input, but the airplane continued to descend rapidly and collided with a tower guy-wire. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tower/antenna (incl guy wires)-Contributed to outcome
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2012_CEN12LA236.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗