Pilot practicing to become cropduster dies in crash

According to local authorities and family acquaintances, the pilot had been flying in the Seagraves, Texas, area over a period of several weeks with aspirations to become an agricultural pilot.

During those weeks, the Piper PA-12 had been observed by several people to be flying at low altitude while performing “ag-type maneuvers” over the fields.

When the plane crashed in the early morning, there were no witnesses. The airplane wreckage was found by a farmer a few hours later.

A post-accident examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane hit terrain in a nose- and right-wing low attitude.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. The vertical stabilizer was pointed to the right, consistent with a clockwise stall/spin at impact. The pilot died in the crash.

The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge states that an aerodynamic stall results from a rapid decrease in lift caused by the separation of airflow from the wing’s surface brought on by exceeding the critical angle of attack (AOA). An aerodynamic stall can occur when the airplane flies too slowly or when higher wing loads are imposed due to maneuvers such as pull-ups or banked flight.

According to the Airplane Flying Handbook, at the same gross weight, airplane configuration, CG location, power setting, and environmental conditions, a given airplane consistently stalls at the same indicated airspeed provided the airplane is at +1G (i.e., steady-state unaccelerated flight). However, the airplane can also stall at a higher indicated airspeed when the airplane is subject to an acceleration greater than +1G, such as when turning, pulling up, or other abrupt changes in flightpath.

Stalls encountered any time the G-load exceeds +1G are called “accelerated maneuver stalls.” The accelerated stall would most frequently occur inadvertently during improperly executed turns, stall and spin recoveries, pullouts from steep dives, or when overshooting a base to final turn. An accelerated stall is typically demonstrated during steep turns.

Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control.

NTSB Identification: 105125

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This May 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.