Event GAA17CA285

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while maneuvering at a low altitude during an aerial application flight, a gust of wind lifted the right wing and the left wing descended striking the "wheat" crop. Subsequently, the airplane was "sucked" into the wheat, the airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system about 4 nautical miles from the accident site, about the time of the accident, reported the wind at 160° at 13 knots. The pilot reported that, while maneuvering at a low altitude during an agricultural application flight, a wind gust lifted the right wing and the left wing descended striking the "wheat" crop. Subsequently, the airplane was "sucked" into the wheat, and it then impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system about 4 nautical miles from the accident site, about the time of the accident, reported that the wind was from 160° at 13 knots. 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-(general)-Contributed to outcome