No fatalities

17 May 2019: Ayres S 2R — Farmers Aerial Seeders — Stuttgart, AR

Stuttgart, AR, United States

On 17 May 2019, an Ayres S 2R Undesignat operated by Farmers Aerial Seeders was involved in an aviation accident near Stuttgart, AR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering during an agricultural application flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

An agricultural airplane stalled while turning after a fertilizer run, causing the left main landing gear and wing tip to strike the ground. The pilot recovered and returned to the departure airport, but the left wing impacted the ground during landing.

Accident Sequence

The pilot of the agricultural application airplane reported that, while turning after finishing a fertilizer run, the wind was under the wing, pushing the aircraft. The pilot attempted to "pull the aircraft out of the turn," but the airplane aerodynamically stalled. The pilot returned the stick to neutral, and while regaining control, the left main landing gear and wing tip struck the ground. This impact caused the landing gear to bend underneath the wing.

The airplane bounced back into the air, and the pilot decided to return to the departure airport. During the landing on an abandoned runway, the pilot attempted to keep the left main landing gear off the ground as long as possible. Eventually, the left wing impacted the ground, and the airplane exited the runway to the left.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Capability exceededPilot