What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Severed top of vertical stabilizer on a unseen telephone line during night spray run. Ground looped landing. (-23) pilot performing aerial application at night failed to notice phone cable strung below power line. Vertical stabilizer struck cable severing the top of the stabilizer and rudder causing the aircraft to be nearly uncontrollable. Pilot made precautionary landing. Ground loop and further damage to aircraft. (.4) the pilot said that this was the first flight at a new field, and he had not visually inspected the field before spraying it. He made a pass over the field to check for wires, and did not see any. On the second pass he saw a steel power cable strung between poles that was in his flight path. The pilot stated that it was too late to pull up to avoid the cable, and he pushed the nose of the aircraft down to fly underneath it. The aircraft, equipped with a wire deflector, struck a telephone wire underneath the initial steel cable. The wire deflector and the vertical stabilizer separated from the aircraft. The pilot began to lose directional and roll control, and he pushed the nose towards the ground and made a forced landing. The pilot stated that there wer e no mechanical malfunctions with the engine or flight controls prior to striking the wires. The night was dark with no moon.
As the FAA filed it
SEVERED TOP OF VERTICAL STABILIZER ON A UNSEEN TELEPHONE LINE DURING NIGHT SPRAY RUN. GROUND LOOPED LANDING. (-23) PILOT PERFORMING AERIAL APPLICATION AT NIGHT FAILED TO NOTICE PHONE CABLE STRUNG BELOW POWER LINE. VERTICAL STABILIZER STRUCK CABLE SEVERING THE TOP OF THE STABILIZER AND RUDDER CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO BE NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLE. PILOT MADE PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. GROUND LOOP AND FURTHER DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT. (.4) THE PILOT SAID THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT AT A NEW FIELD, AND HE HAD NOT VISUALLY INSPECTED THE FIELD BEFORE SPRAYING IT. HE MADE A PASS OVER THE FIELD TO CHECK FOR WIRES, AND DID NOT SEE ANY. ON THE SECOND PASS HE SAW A STEEL POWER CABLE STRUNG BETWEEN POLES THAT WAS IN HIS FLIGHT PATH. THE PILOT STATED THAT IT WAS TOO LATE TO PULL UP TO AVOID THE CABLE, AND HE PUSHED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DOWN TO FLY UNDERNEATH IT. THE AIRCRAFT, EQUIPPED WITH A WIRE DEFLECTOR, STRUCK A TELEPHONE WIRE UNDERNEATH THE INITIAL STEEL CABLE. THE WIRE DEFLECTOR AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT BEGAN TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL AND ROLL CONTROL, AND HE PUSHED THE NOSE TOWARDS THE GROUND AND MADE A FORCED LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WER E NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE ENGINE OR FLIGHT CONTROLS PRIOR TO STRIKING THE WIRES. THE NIGHT WAS DARK WITH NO MOON.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.