Air Tractor AT802 N8503W accident near Aberdeen, South Dakota

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while taxiing with a quartering tailwind, which resulted in a ground loop.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was taxiing from the loading ramp to runway 35 for his third aerial application flight of the day. As the airplane taxied, it did not respond to the pilot’s inputs and departed the taxiway before it ground looped. During the ground loop, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing impacted the surface which resulted in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

At the time of the accident, the pilot was taxiing the airplane to the south with wind from 050° at 12 kts, resulting in about a 6 kt tailwind component and a 10 kt left crosswind component. It is likely that the pilot lost directional control of the airplane when taxiing with a quartering tailwind.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA334 for the full record.