FTW97LA331

Factual narrative

On August 27, 1997, approximately 1720 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-802A, N9197F, was substantially damaged during landing roll at the Pineland Municipal Airport, near Pineland, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was operated by Aero Tech, Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight which originated approximately 30 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, he departed Pineland with a load of chemical but could not locate the assigned field. He returned to the airport with his full load and was landing on runway 35. The pilot reported that when he "attempted to stop the airplane by using Beta, the right brake failed and the engine torque pulled the airplane to the left into a ground loop." The ground loop folded the right main gear under the fuselage and bent the right wing at the mid-point. According to the pilot, he departed Pineland with a load of chemicals, but could not locate the assigned field. He returned to the airport with his full load and was landing on runway 35. The pilot reported that when he 'attempted to stop the airplane by using Beta, the right brake failed and the engine torque pulled the airplane to the left into a ground loop.' During the ground loop, the right main gear folded under the fuselage and bent the right wing at the mid-point. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12