What happened
While en route to a field for spraying operations, the pilot became distracted by technical issues involving the onboard global positioning flagger equipment. During this time, the pilot contacted the base to seek assistance in getting the light bar to function correctly. After circling the field several times, the pilot determined that the light bar had been inadvertently turned off and subsequently switched it back on.
The pilot performed a pass over the field and then circled to re-enter for a second aerial application pass. Upon completing this second pass, the pilot observed another agricultural aircraft entering the area. Due to the combination of the previous equipment distraction and the execution of a downwind turn, the pilot reported being wide of the intended mark.
As the pilot maneuvered the ag-plane to realign with the field, they experienced a sudden loss of lift. Before the pilot could increase throttle or dump the chemical load, the aircraft began to sink into the corn. The airplane then impacted the field and came to a complete stop. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
A mechanical examination of the aircraft revealed no anomalies.