What happened
During an aerial application mission intended to treat a 10-hectare potato field, an aircraft departed at approximately 09:50. The operation was estimated to last roughly 25 minutes. When the plane failed to return to the airfield by 10:20, ground personnel attempted to reach the pilot via a portable VHF radio, but received no communication.
The wreckage was located in a flat, stony field. Investigation of the debris indicated that the aircraft struck the ground while executing a descending left turn with a nose-down pitch and a bank angle between 20 and 30 degrees. The impact caused the aircraft to cartwheel and break apart; notably, the tip of the left wing's outer panel was detached and found 20 meters from the main wreckage. There was no post-crash fire. The accident resulted in one fatality.
Findings
Investigators determined that the pilot was likely performing a reversal turn to complete a boundary sweep when the impact occurred. No mechanical or structural failures were identified, and there was no evidence of an engine malfunction, bird strike, or collision with obstacles. The aircraft's weight and center of gravity were within operational limits.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident included partly cloudy skies and light, variable winds, with no significant precipitation affecting the flight. Medical examinations of the pilot revealed slight arterial narrowing, but this was not deemed a cause for sudden incapacitation, and toxicology reports were negative for chemical poisoning. Ultimately, no specific cause for the accident could be established.