No fatalities

Crop-Dusting Aircraft Strikes Irrigation System, Makes Emergency Landing

Castroville, TX, United States

On June 24, 2011, a CESSNA A188 B operated by TORKELSON FLYING SERVICE INC was involved in an aviation accident near Castroville, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance during the agricultural spraying flight. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A commercial pilot on his first spraying pass of the day struck a center pivot irrigation system, causing separation of landing gear and jamming of the right aileron. Despite control difficulties, he regained partial control and returned for an emergency landing, during which the left main landing gear separated and the aircraft sustained substantial damage.

Incident

A commercial pilot was conducting his first spraying pass of the day when the agricultural airplane struck and damaged a center pivot irrigation system. The impact caused the right main landing gear and tail wheel to separate from the airplane. The aircraft immediately began a descending bank to the right.

Control Difficulties

The pilot reported that the right aileron was jammed in the full up position and that control stick movements had no effect on the right aileron. He was able to use full power, full left aileron, and full left rudder to regain partial control of the aircraft.

Emergency Landing

Regaining partial control, the pilot returned to the airport to perform an emergency landing. As the airplane touched down, the left main landing gear separated. The airplane came to rest upright. Substantial damage was sustained to the fuselage and flight controls.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies prior to impact with the irrigation system. He also noted that his forward vision was partially obscured by chemical spray on the windshield.

Contributing factors

Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation