N9379Q

On September 29, 2023, about 1425 central daylight time, a Beech A36 airplane, N9379Q, was involved in an accident while landing at Broken Bow Airport (90F), near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The pilot was not injured. An airport grounds worker was fatally injured. The airplane received substantial damage. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

A worker was mowing the grass along the west side of runway 17 at 90F and was traveling toward the south. The airplane landed on runway 17 and was rolling out when the right wing struck the worker, resulting in fatal injuries.

At the time of the accident there was also a work crew bailing hay about 1,000 ft south of the worker on the opposite side of the runway. There were no Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) active for the mowing or hay bailing operations being conducted at the airport.

According to the pilot, while on approach to land, the pilot watched for tractors that were bailing hay. He set up for a straight-in approach for runway 17 and made several position reports on the Universal Communications frequency. While on final approach, he identified that the runway environment was clear and continued. During the landing flare, he saw a small black riding lawnmower on the right side of the runway. The pilot pulled back on the control yoke, and the airplane drifted to the right of runway centerline due to a crosswind. The main landing gear touched down and he pulled back on the control yoke again to avoid the mower; however, the right wing struck the grounds worker. The pilot reported that the right wing received substantial damage due to the impact.

According to a local law enforcement report of the accident, the grounds worker was mowing on the edge of the runway when she was struck by the airplane. According to Federal Aviation Administration chart supplements, the runway width was 50 ft. According to the Airplane Flight Manual, the Beech A36 airplane has a wingspan of 33 ft 6 inches.

The airport manager was contacted through legal representatives and reported that the grounds worker had been instructed to mow in the cemetery across the street and that after she completed mowing that area, she voluntarily and without direction, moved to the airport and began mowing. It was confirmed that a NOTAM was not issued to advise pilots that mowing would be in progress because the airport manager was not aware that the worker would be mowing at the airport. The airport manager was also not aware that NOTAMs needed to be issued since the airport did not receive any federal funding.

After the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector provided counseling to the airport manager regarding best practices including NOTAM issuance, use of high visibility devices for the workers and vehicles, and communication radio usage. All the suggested improvements were implemented by the city following the accident.