Event WPR12CA229

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to perform an aerial application on a wheat field. During a pass, he mistakenly descended the airplane too early and struck a pipe on a center pivot irrigation system. As a result, the left main landing gear sustained damage, and the pilot flew the airplane back to the airport to land. Upon touchdown, the airplane ground looped due to the damage incurred by the landing gear. The airplane's left wing was damaged during the landing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to striking the object. During an aerial application pass, the pilot mistakenly descended the airplane too early and struck a pipe on a center pivot irrigation system. As a result, the left main landing gear sustained damage, and the pilot flew the airplane back to the airport to land. The pilot stated that the airplane ground looped upon touchdown due to the damaged landing gear. The airplane's left wing was damaged during the ground loop. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to striking the object. 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-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear-Damaged/degraded
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Response/compensation - C