Ayres Corporation S2R-G6 accident near Ulysses, Kansas, May 27, 2023
On May 27, 2023 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2000 Ayres Corporation S2R-G6, registered N4182G, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ulysses, Kansas (Ulysses Airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a cable during spray operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2023 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ulysses, Kansas · Ulysses Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres Corporation S2R-G6, built 2000 · all S2R-G6s on the register
- Registration
- N4182G · registry record · serial G6-155
- 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 reported that, while spraying a pasture at low altitude, the airplane struck a zipline cable, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he needed to be more alert to obstacles.
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 17,300 hours in all; 2,400 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 17,000 as pilot in command; 196 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 13, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,899 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 2023; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-6-252M (turboprop); 6,734 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ULS Ulysses KS at 4:00 pm
- Destination: ULS Ulysses KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:00 am from ULS, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 28, 2023. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo of Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4182G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA303.