Ayres Corporation S2R-T34 accident near Clinton, Illinois, July 24, 2008
On July 24, 2008 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Ayres Corporation S2R-T34, registered N357CA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Clinton, Illinois. 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 inadequate in-flight planning/decision making and the altitude/clearance not maintained by the pilot during the aerial application. A contributing factor was the guy wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2008 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clinton, Illinois · 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 · all S2R-T34s on the register
- Registration
- N357CA · registry record · serial 6000
- 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 spraying an agricultural field in an east/west direction, but later changed to a north/south direction so as to avoid an agricultural airplane spraying an adjacent field. During the 15th pass over the field, the airplane struck a guy wire with its right wing tip that resulted in structural damage to its right wing. The pilot then flew back and landed the airplane without further incident at the airport where it was based. The pilot was uninjured. The pilot stated that he should have resurveyed the field after changing the direction of the passes over the field.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,093 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlantic Ag Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Clinton IL
- Destination: Clinton IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N357CA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.