N23720 – Air Tractor AT-400 – 2006-07-31 NTSB Accident Report

On July 31, 2006, a Air Tractor AT-400 (N23720) was involved in an incident near Springfield, MN. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane as a result of the partial failure of the tail wheel assembly. A factor associated with the accident was the crop that the airplane contacted.

The airplane ground looped following a failure of one of the tail wheel bolts. The pilot reported he was landing at a private grass airstrip when the accident occurred. He reported that upon landing the tail wheel broke and the airplane ground looped. Inspection of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector from the Minneapolis, Minnesota Flight Standards District Office revealed the airplane traveled into a bean field during the ground loop. The inspector reported the bottom bolt on the tail wheel assembly fractured which resulted in the loss of directional control.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI06CA221. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N23720.