19980625015029A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-36-300 · Mobridge, SD · June 25, 1998

Date: June 25, 1998 · 13:45 local
Place: Mobridge, SD
Airport: Mobridge Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: MTTG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N3760E
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI98LA219
Reported as: Piper PA36300
Reported engine: Lycoming IO540K1G5
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 14,120 total3,629 in this make and model135 in the last 90 days

N3760ERegistered now · Piper PA-36-300S/N 36-7960064 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-36-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Acft struck a power line during aerial app and destroyed the rudder and vertical stablizer. (.4)the pilot was spraying a field of wheat and was working under non-active power lines going to an abandoned farmstead. During one of the passes the airplane hit one of the wires separating the vertical stabilizer and rudder from the aircraft. The pilot stated that the directional control was lost, but the aircraft continued to fly, wings level, in a skidding turn to the right. Due to an approaching tree line the pilot reduced the engine power and the aircraft impacted level terrain with the wings level. The pilot stated that the aircraft slid to the left, folding the left main gear under the wing. (-23) while spraying adjacent fields, pilot elected to fly under power lines. Aircraft tail struck lower wire, ripping vertical stabilizer and rudder from aircraft. Pilot made an emergency landing in field.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT STRUCK A POWER LINE DURING AERIAL APP AND DESTROYED THE RUDDER AND VERTICAL STABLIZER. (.4)THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING A FIELD OF WHEAT AND WAS WORKING UNDER NON-ACTIVE POWER LINES GOING TO AN ABANDONED FARMSTEAD. DURING ONE OF THE PASSES THE AIRPLANE HIT ONE OF THE WIRES SEPARATING THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST, BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO FLY, WINGS LEVEL, IN A SKIDDING TURN TO THE RIGHT. DUE TO AN APPROACHING TREE LINE THE PILOT REDUCED THE ENGINE POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED LEVEL TERRAIN WITH THE WINGS LEVEL. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO THE LEFT, FOLDING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR UNDER THE WING. (-23) WHILE SPRAYING ADJACENT FIELDS, PILOT ELECTED TO FLY UNDER POWER LINES. AIRCRAFT TAIL STRUCK LOWER WIRE, RIPPING VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER FROM AIRCRAFT. PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN FIELD.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI98LA219Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMobridge, SDThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines. Factors associated with the accident were the power lines, and the separation of the vertical stabilizer and rudder which resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the…Jun 25, 1998 · Substantial damage