NTSB CEN22LA371 — 2022-07-21 · Wyman / Washington, Iowa, United States

Current FAA registration · N9899

Make / Model: AYRES CORPORATION S2R-T65
Year of manufacture: 1990 · 32 years old at event
Engine: P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20040413
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ADD026

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N9899 AYRES CORPORATION S2R-T65 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot not maintaining sufficient altitude to clear an obstruction during the aerial application flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while conducting agricultural spraying operations he first circled the field to be sprayed and noted a windmill at the south end of the field. He started to spray the field and when conducting a spray pass lined up with the windmill, he pulled up to clear the windmill, but encountered a “pocket of dead air” which resulted in the airplane hitting the windmill. The pilot returned to the airport and upon landing the airplane’s left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane went off the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane before the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tower/antenna (incl guy wires)-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_CEN22LA371.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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