Accident Details
A tailwheel-equipped agricultural airplane experienced a loss of control and subsequent ground-loop while landing on a narrow gravel airstrip. The right spray boom became entangled with tall wheat adjacent to the airstrip, leading to the loss of control. The aircraft came to rest upright, and the pilot exited without assistance.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial certificate and had accumulated a total of 2,236 flight hours, including 128 hours in the same make and model of airplane.
Aircraft and Damage
The turbine-powered airplane sustained structural damage to the aft section of the fuselage. Examination of the right wheel at the accident site revealed that the wheel was free to rotate and the right brake was not dragging.
Environmental Conditions
The wind velocity at the time of the accident was reported between 1 and 3 knots. The wheat was displaced approximately four feet from the left edge of the airstrip and was growing adjacent to the right edge. Earlier that day, the pilot observed wheat entangled in the right spray boom following two previous landings on the same airstrip.
Post-Accident Inspection
An examination revealed no evidence of brake drag or wheel binding on the right side. The entanglement of the spray boom with the wheat was consistent with the pilot's earlier observations.