On August 17, 1997, an Air Tractor AT-301 (registration N2316X) was involved in an aviation accident near Vernon, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from an irrigation pipe. Factors relating to the accident were: the poor light condition at dusk, the object (vertical piece of irragation pipe), loss of engine power from foreign object damage, and the lack of… This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a swath run over a cotton field at dusk, the engine lost most power. The pilot attempted a straight-ahead landing but had to go over a road into a terraced field, where the airplane struck a terrace and flipped over.
Event Narrative
The pilot reported that he was flying a swath run over a cotton field at dusk when the airplane's engine lost most of its power. He stated that he tried to land straight ahead, but had to pop up over a road into the next field. That next field was terraced. During the landing, the airplane impacted a terrace, which flipped the airplane over onto its back.
Post-Accident Findings
The farmer whose field was being sprayed reported to the pilot that there was a vertical piece of irrigation pipe in the field that was bent. The repair facility where the engine was sent reported that the number 5 cylinder had received damage when it was apparently struck or hit by something.