Dumpster Diving in Buttonwillow

Fatigue put a tired cropduster pilot in Buttonwillow, California right into the dumpster, literally.

According to the US NTSB, pilot Douglas Abbott was coming back to his home field at the end of the day on 13 June having completed 20 missions in a Grumman G-164A-600 Ag Cat (N5286).

"I experienced a loss of directional control on the landing rollout and stuck a small dumpster near the end of the runway with the lower right wing of the plane at about the location of the wing strut," Abbott told investigators. "The impact with the dumpster cause the airplane to spin into a larger dumpster that the aircraft struck at a approximate 75 degree angle and the plane came to a rest agains the side of the larger trash dumpster." Neither he or anyone on th ground was injured, fortunately.

What did he learn from the accident? Abbott and his employer told the investigators: "Emphasize to pilots the need to keep a clear head," he said. "Take breaks when needed even if there is more work to do. In the summer heat, they need to stay hydrated and take breaks. Never stop 'flying' until the plane is in the hangar."

Words of wisdom, which might also be augmented with - Keep dumpsters far away from the airfield...