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19950604018159I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Airtrc AT-402 · Taft, TX · June 4, 1995

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 4, 1995 · 12:30 local
Place
Taft, TX
Phase of flight
Low Level Operations
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
EVUG
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1036P
Reported as
Airtrc AT402
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,475 total1,475 in this make and model136 in the last 90 days
N1036PRegistration cancelled Feb 6, 2003 · Air Tractor AT-402S/N 402-0745 · Built 1990Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-402Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: pilot departed hunts airport at approx. 12:00 to spray 6 fields of cotton. On third field after about six spray passes were made, pilot flew under a powerline and attempted to go over another spray area. The tail of the aircraft struck the first powerline, removing the rudder from the aircraft and damaging the vertical fin. Due to loss of rudder control and verticle fin damage, the aircraft wanted to roll to the left. The pilot states, by holding full right aileron and gradually reducing power, he was able to keep the aircraft right side up until close enough to the ground to make an emergency landing in a cotton field. Due to not being able to keep the aircraft straight from loss of rudder control, the aircraft contacted the ground in a 3 point attitude, turning left. This partial ground loop damaged the right landing gear and both wing tips. No damage to engine, prop or fuselage. Inspection findings: the primary aircraft structure did not indicate deformity nor weld joint seperation indicated through fuselage and wing attach points. Damaged replaceable parts were removed and replaced with factory servicable parts.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOT DEPARTED HUNTS AIRPORT AT APPROX. 12:00 TO SPRAY 6 FIELDS OF COTTON. ON THIRD FIELD AFTER ABOUT SIX SPRAY PASSES WERE MADE, PILOT FLEW UNDER A POWERLINE AND ATTEMPTED TO GO OVER ANOTHER SPRAY AREA. THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE FIRST POWERLINE, REMOVING THE RUDDER FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND DAMAGING THE VERTICAL FIN. DUE TO LOSS OF RUDDER CONTROL AND VERTICLE FIN DAMAGE, THE AIRCRAFT WANTED TO ROLL TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT STATES, BY HOLDING FULL RIGHT AILERON AND GRADUALLY REDUCING POWER, HE WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT RIGHT SIDE UP UNTIL CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE GROUND TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A COTTON FIELD. DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT STRAIGHT FROM LOSS OF RUDDER CONTROL, THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE GROUND IN A 3 POINT ATTITUDE, TURNING LEFT. THIS PARTIAL GROUND LOOP DAMAGED THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR AND BOTH WING TIPS. NO DAMAGE TO ENGINE, PROP OR FUSELAGE. INSPECTION FINDINGS: THE PRIMARY AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE DID NOT INDICATE DEFORMITY NOR WELD JOINT SEPERATION INDICATED THROUGH FUSELAGE AND WING ATTACH POINTS. DAMAGED REPLACEABLE PARTS WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH FACTORY SERVICABLE PARTS.