NTSB Factual Report

On August 17, 2012, about 0935 central daylight time, a Cessna A150L, N6006J, impacted a corn field 13 miles, north of Tribune, Kansas. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was seriously injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Sharon Springs, Kansas, Municipal Airport (6KS4) about 0900.

Due to the extent of his injuries, the pilot has been unable to complete National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1/2, Pilot-Operator Aircraft Accident Report.

The airport manager stated that the pilot departed 6KS4 about 0900, and at 0938 he telephoned his wife to tell her he had been in an accident. Emergency personnel were notified and the pilot was transported to the hospital. The airport manager said he went to the scene shortly after the accident and found a large quantity of fuel in the dirt beneath the airplane.

On August 22, 2012, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors and a representative of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation met with the Tribune Municipal Airport manager to examine the wreckage. The engine was partially separated from the airframe and the firewall was wrinkled. The bottom of the fuselage beneath the cabin area was buckled, and the fuselage skin was wrinkled. Both wings were crushed.

The owner and president of Chem-Tek Spray Company met with investigators and told them that the pilot had been examining the pilot's crops and was flying in an easterly direction at a low airspeed and altitude. As he banked right to turn towards the south, the right wing contacted the tops of corn stalks and the airplane struck the ground.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a corn crop.