Thrush Aircraft LLC S2R-T660 accident near Ardoch, North Dakota, September 12, 2023
On September 12, 2023 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2023 Thrush Aircraft LLC S2R-T660, registered N710TY, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ardoch, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a guy wire during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2023 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Ardoch, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thrush Aircraft LLC S2R-T660, built 2023 · all S2R-T660s on the register
- Registration
- N710TY · no longer on the register · serial T660-180
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting an aerial application flight when the airplane’s left wing impacted a guy wire attached to a power line structure. The impact with the guy wire occurred while the airplane was flying along the edge of the field being sprayed. The outboard 7 ft of the left wing and the left aileron separated during the impact with the guy wire. The airplane subsequently crashed in a cornfield about 0.3 mile from the guy wire impact. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact malfunction that would have prevented its normal operation. A review of recorded engine monitor data revealed no evidence of an engine malfunction or failure during the flight. Day visual meteorological conditions existed, and the position of the sun at high noon would not have negatively affected the pilot’s view ahead of the airplane. The pilot’s autopsy and postmortem toxicology tests did not reveal any evidence of medical incapacitation or impairment.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: March 17, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 296.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flyiton Ag LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Oslo MN at 4:52 pm
- Destination: PVT Oslo MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KGFK, 14 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KGFK 121653Z 06009KT 10SM SCT039 16/05 A3024 RMK AO2 SLP246 T01560050=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on October 8, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Attachment 1 to Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | data file · our copy | Download |
| 4 | Attachment 2 to Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | data file · our copy | Download |
| 5 | Pilot Logbook | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Airplane Logbooks (Combined) | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | 100 Hour Inspection Invoice | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | 300 Hour Inspection Invoice | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Weather Data Summary | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicology Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 11 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N710TY: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Thrush Aircraft Llc S2 52 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG 430 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,495 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23FA409.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.