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ERA23LA215

2023-04-24 · Good Hope, Alabama, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PVT

Current FAA registration · N623LA

Make / Model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402A
Year of manufacture
2000 · 23 years old at event
Engine
P&W PT6A SERIES (500 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20001025
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8225D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to land on a runway where there was insufficient clearance from obstructions (wheat crop) to operate safely.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the agricultural airplane was landing on a private runway that was about 24 feet wide and surrounded by wheat crop. The pilot described that, during the landing, the airplane was closer to the edge of the runway than he thought, and the airplane’s right spray boom caught on the wheat after touchdown. The airplane subsequently veered off the runway and into the wheat field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s empennage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he should have checked the runway conditions before landing and considered the possible impact of the growing wheat on his operation from the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Operating environment-Airport facilities/design-Runway/landing area condition-Awareness of condition
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA215.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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