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GAA16CA399

2016-07-27 · Bird Island, Minnesota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's diverted attention inside the cockpit and failure to maintain the airplane's altitude while maneuvering at a low altitude, resulting in an impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, during a low altitude agricultural aerial application flight he observed a glitch in the satellite navigation system. He reported that he attempted to identify the glitch and his attention was focused inside the cockpit. The pilot recalled that while focused inside the cockpit, he heard and felt the corn stalks that he was spraying, strike the airplane. He reported that he then looked outside the cockpit and "observed a slight rise in terrain", he increased throttle and pulled back on the stick. However, the airplane descended into the cornfield, yawed to the right, impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations. According to the pilot, during a low altitude agricultural aerial application flight he observed a glitch in the satellite navigation system. He reported that he attempted to identify the glitch and his attention was focused inside the cockpit. The pilot recalled that while focused inside the cockpit, he heard and felt the corn stalks that he was spraying, strike the airplane. He reported that he then looked outside the cockpit and "observed a slight rise in terrain", he increased throttle and pulled back on the stick. However, the airplane descended into the cornfield, yawed to the right, impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with airplane that would have prevented normal flight operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Navigation system-(general)-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA399.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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