Air Tractor Inc AT-402A N623LA accident near Good Hope, Alabama

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to land on a runway where there was insufficient clearance from obstructions (wheat crop) to operate safely.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the agricultural airplane was landing on a private runway that was about 24 feet wide and surrounded by wheat crop. The pilot described that, during the landing, the airplane was closer to the edge of the runway than he thought, and the airplane’s right spray boom caught on the wheat after touchdown. The airplane subsequently veered off the runway and into the wheat field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s empennage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he should have checked the runway conditions before landing and considered the possible impact of the growing wheat on his operation from the runway.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA215 for the full record.