On July 29, 1985, a Gulfstream-schweizer GULFSTREAM AM G-164B (registration N8133K) was involved in an aviation accident near Poston, AZ. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that after three unsuccessful attempts to line up for a spray run, he allowed the aircraft to get too low and slow during a turn. The aircraft settled, and after touchdown in a plowed field, it nosed over.
Accident Sequence
According to the pilot, weather conditions during the night aerial application flight were clear with winds of 15 knots gusting to 20 knots. The pilot made three unsuccessful attempts to line up for the spray run. He stated that during a turn to set up for another run, he allowed the aircraft to get too low and slow, and he was late in recognizing the problem and adding power.
As the aircraft settled toward the ground, the pilot attempted to jettison the hopper load by moving the dump gate control handle, but he did not move it through its full range of motion. The gate did not function. The aircraft subsequently touched down in a plowed field and nosed over.
Post-Accident Testing
Functional testing of the dump gate after the accident revealed that it operated correctly when the control handle was moved through its full range of motion.