Thrush Aircraft Inc. S2RHG-T65 accident near Tyndall, South Dakota, May 19, 2007
On May 19, 2007 at about 11:16 pm local time, a Thrush Aircraft Inc. S2RHG-T65, registered N40097, was destroyed in an accident near Tyndall, South 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 not maintaining altitude/clearance from a powerline while maneuvering. A factor was the low visibility associated with the thunderstorm and the powerlines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2007 · about 11:16 pm local time
- Place
- Tyndall, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thrush Aircraft Inc. S2RHG-T65
- Registration
- N40097 · registry record · serial T65HG-011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An agricultural application airplane impacted power lines and terrain while maneuvering. A post impact fire occurred. The operator's accident report stated that "10-15 minutes before [the] crash eye witness reports indicate all was normal. Thunderstorms in the area developed rapidly. At [the] time of [the] crash eyewitness accounts, per Sheriff's report, were very heavy rain and some hail, 20 [feet] visibility." Examination of the wreckage revealed a section of powerline was found wrapped around the airplane's hopper. A propeller blade had a semicircular depression on its leading edge. The recorded weather about 25 miles east of the accident site was: Wind 240 degrees at 8 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition scattered clouds 7,500 feet; temperature 28 degrees C; dew point 13 degrees C; altimeter 29.90 inches of mercury; remarks lightning observed in the distant west, thunderstorm ended at 18 minutes before the accident. Low levels of an antidepressant was a finding in the pilot's toxicology 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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,073 hours in all; 315 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 581 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1SD3 Hurley SD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from YKN, 25 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.