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19990811011759A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Ayres S-2R · Garden City, KS · August 11, 1999

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 11, 1999 · 09:50 local
Place
Garden City, KS
Phase of flight
Low Level Operations
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
TGDG
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4923X
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI99LA287
Reported as
Ayres S2R
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R1340AN1
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,621 total1,032 in this make and model236 in the last 90 days
N4923XRegistration cancelled Aug 25, 2004 · Rockwell International S-2RS/N 2119R · Built 1974Airframe modelRockwell International S-2REngine modelPratt & Whitney R1340 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.

Acft struck power lines during aerial application and sustained substantial damage. (.19) on August 11, 1999, at 0950 central daylight time, a rockwell S-2R thrush, N4923X, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it struck a power line during a pull-up maneuver at the end of a spraying swath run. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR part 137 aerial application flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Garden City, Kansas, exact time unknown. The pilot said he had delayed his pull up at the end of the swath run because he did not see the wires near the field's border. According to the pilot, the wires were suspended between two poles that were about 1/4-mile apart. He said the wires were hard to see and he was unable to gauge the time to start the pull up maneuver properly. The pilot said the sky was clear and bright. (.4)the aerial application airplane had completed its swath run. The airplane struck power lines located at the edge of the field being sprayed during a pull-up maneuver. The pilot said, '...I misjudged my initial point of pull up and contacted the top wire between two poles with the [airplanes] right [main] landing gear.' The pilot said the wires were hard to see. The on-scene investigation revealed the wires were suspended between 2 poles about 1/4 mile apart. (-23)on August 11, 1999 at approximately 0945 and approxiamtely 10 miles south of Garden City, KS an agricultural spray plane operated by privacy data omitted struck the top line (static line) of a 4 wire group of power lines. The pilot stated that he was on his third pass over the corn field on an approximately 0270 degree heading when he struck the wire. The pilot stated he did not see the wire till it was to late and the aircraft caught the top static line between two power line poles. The pilot stated he felt a pull on the aircraft as he caught the wire. The aircraft was substanially damaged but the pilo was able to break free from the s tatic line. The pilot managed to land the aircraft at a landing strip that was in the immediate vicintiy without further incident or injury.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT STRUCK POWER LINES DURING AERIAL APPLICATION AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. (.19) ON AUGUST 11, 1999, AT 0950 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A ROCKWELL S-2R THRUSH, N4923X, PILOTED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT STRUCK A POWER LINE DURING A PULL-UP MANEUVER AT THE END OF A SPRAYING SWATH RUN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED GARDEN CITY, KANSAS, EXACT TIME UNKNOWN. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD DELAYED HIS PULL UP AT THE END OF THE SWATH RUN BECAUSE HE DID NOT SEE THE WIRES NEAR THE FIELD'S BORDER. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE WIRES WERE SUSPENDED BETWEEN TWO POLES THAT WERE ABOUT 1/4-MILE APART. HE SAID THE WIRES WERE HARD TO SEE AND HE WAS UNABLE TO GAUGE THE TIME TO START THE PULL UP MANEUVER PROPERLY. THE PILOT SAID THE SKY WAS CLEAR AND BRIGHT. (.4)THE AERIAL APPLICATION AIRPLANE HAD COMPLETED ITS SWATH RUN. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK POWER LINES LOCATED AT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD BEING SPRAYED DURING A PULL-UP MANEUVER. THE PILOT SAID, '...I MISJUDGED MY INITIAL POINT OF PULL UP AND CONTACTED THE TOP WIRE BETWEEN TWO POLES WITH THE [AIRPLANES] RIGHT [MAIN] LANDING GEAR.' THE PILOT SAID THE WIRES WERE HARD TO SEE. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE WIRES WERE SUSPENDED BETWEEN 2 POLES ABOUT 1/4 MILE APART. (-23)ON AUGUST 11, 1999 AT APPROXIMATELY 0945 AND APPROXIAMTELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF GARDEN CITY, KS AN AGRICULTURAL SPRAY PLANE OPERATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STRUCK THE TOP LINE (STATIC LINE) OF A 4 WIRE GROUP OF POWER LINES. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ON HIS THIRD PASS OVER THE CORN FIELD ON AN APPROXIMATELY 0270 DEGREE HEADING WHEN HE STRUCK THE WIRE. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT SEE THE WIRE TILL IT WAS TO LATE AND THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT THE TOP STATIC LINE BETWEEN TWO POWER LINE POLES. THE PILOT STATED HE FELT A PULL ON THE AIRCRAFT AS HE CAUGHT THE WIRE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANIALLY DAMAGED BUT THE PILO WAS ABLE TO BREAK FREE FROM THE S TATIC LINE. THE PILOT MANAGED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT AT A LANDING STRIP THAT WAS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINTIY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT OR INJURY.

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 CHI99LA287Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGarden City, KSThe pilot's misjudging his pull-up maneuver resulting in contact with the wire. A contributing factor was the wire.Aug 11, 1999 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N4923X · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20030802016099ALow Level Operations · Mitchell, SD(-23) On August 2, 2003, N4923K, a rockwell S-2R, struck a powerline at mile marker 334 near Mitchell SD, during an aerial application. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot suffered minor injuries.Aug 2, 2003 · Destroyed