Snow 600-S2C accident near Plainfield, Wisconsin, July 21, 2001
On July 21, 2001 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Snow 600-S2C, registered N8703V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainfield, Wisconsin. 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 not maintaining aircraft control while maneuvering on the aerial application flight. A factor to the accident was the encountered stall/mush at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2001 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Plainfield, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Snow 600-S2C · all 600-S2Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8703V · no longer on the register · serial 1290C
- 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 in a turn after a spray run, "... the aircraft felt to slow and the controls were mushy. I lowered the nose, shallowed the turn and added full power. However, I was unable to recover from the near stall before contact with the ground occured. The aircraft contacted the ground in a flat, level attitude with an east heading in an unfarmed field about 200 yards west of the potato field. The terrain was flat and there were no obstacles." The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions on his accident report.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,760 hours in all; 38 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 17, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R985-AN3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bancroft WI at 3:35 pm
- Destination: Bancroft WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from ISW, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.