Ayres Corporation S2R-T34 accident near Beaman, Iowa, August 26, 2025
On August 26, 2025, a 1999 Ayres Corporation S2R-T34, registered N393KW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Beaman, Iowa (Tonner Fld 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath during landing which resulted in a landing short of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2025 · cases in 2025
- Place
- Beaman, Iowa · Tonner Fld · cases near this 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-T34, built 1999 · all S2R-T34s on the register
- Registration
- N393KW · registry record · serial T34-267
- 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 he had completed an agricultural spray operation and was returning to land. He stated that the airplane got too low on the approach and descended into the soybean crop off the approach end of the runway. The airplane impacted the end of the airstrip and the landing gear collapsed. He stated that everything on the airplane was operating normally and that the accident resulted from pilot error by coming in too low and allowing the airplane to contact the soybean crop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage near the landing gear mounting area.
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
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,590 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hoppe Air LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18/3, 2,500 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KMIW, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMIW 252353Z AUTO 34005KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP219 T01890094 10211 20189 53001=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane at accident site
Photograph 2 – Approach end of airstrip
Photograph 3 – Underside of airplane during recovery
Photograph 4 – Broken structural tubeThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 15, 2026. 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 Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Report Not Received. | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | 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 N393KW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N393KW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Ayres Corporation S-2 243 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Ayres Corporation 243 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A34AG 2,217 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tonner Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,513 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N393KW 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN25LA406.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.