Simmesport, LA, USA
N3655G
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-301
The pilot was performing aerial application of chemicals to a field when the airplane began to settle during a low-altitude turn. The settling was consistent with flight at a high angle-of-attack or high drag condition, and the airplane may have been near or at its stall speed. The pilot was unable to recover from the descent so he made an emergency landing during which the airplane impacted an embankment.
On August 4, 2013, about 0920 central daylight time, an Air Tractor Inc AT-301, N3655G, impacted terrain during an aerial application of a field near Simmesport, Louisiana. The airplane received substantial damage to a wing. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Pro-Air LLC under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight that was not operating on a flight plan. The local flight originated from a private airstrip (5LA1) near Hamburg, Louisiana about 0855. The pilot stated that the airplane settled while turning over a field that was being sprayed. He could not recover from the descent so he landed the airplane straight ahead of the flight path and the airplane impacted a railroad embankment. The pilot's recommendation of how this accident could have been prevented was: "I could of made a wider turn," and "I could of put flaps in when airplane began to settle."
The pilot's failure to maintain proper airplane pitch control while maneuvering at an altitude that was too low for recovery.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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