What happened
While performing several passes over a field, the pilot noted that the airspeed had dropped to 80 miles per hour. At the time, the engine was set to a normal power setting of 32 inches manifold pressure and 2,500 rpm. In an attempt to recover, the pilot leveled the wings and lowered the nose of the aircraft. After observing that the airspeed failed to increase, the pilot applied full power; however, the airspeed continued to decay while the aircraft entered a descent.
The pilot attempted to dump the 125 gallons of chemical on board, but the effort was unsuccessful. The aircraft subsequently mushed into the field.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that the propeller had broken off due to torsion. Additionally, the left wing was bent backward, and the left main landing gear was broken aft. An inspection of the aircraft's systems showed no anomalies.