What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On April 22, 2000, at 1019 hours mountain standard time, air tractor AT-502A, N15466, piloted by joe clifton henderson suffered an in-flight separation of the left wing during aerial application. The aircraft was in a level pass over a crop field located at ellsworth and germann roads, when the left wing separated causing the aircraft to roll to the left and impac the ground inverted. The pilot suffered fatal injuries on impact. The left wing was found approximately 300 feet from the main fuselage wreckage. Ground witnesses reported no unusual maneuvers prior to the wing failure. (.4) the airplane was spraying chemicals on a field of crops when the left wing separated in flight. Ground witnesses said that the airplane was making a level spray pass over a potato crop when the left wing failed. No unusual meteorological phenomena were observed in the area, and the airplane did not perform any unusual maneuvers prior to the failure. The left wing's lower spar cap was found to have fractured in fatigue at a point that transected the inboard attach block bolt hole where the spar attaches to the center section spar carry through member. Multiple origin sites were identified within the bolt hole bore, with corrosion pitting evident at the origin points. The spar caps met the hardness, chemistry, and microstructure of the production drawing specified material. Air tractor service letter 118 and the maintenance manual specify an inspection procedure, which calls for the removal of the hopper for a detailed inspection of the spar caps for cracks; one area identified as critical for cracking was the inboard bolt hole bore. The inspection interval was specified as every 2,000 hours or 3 years. The number of crack arrest striations in the fatigue region was determined from the first point the crack would be visible from beneath the attach block during the specified inspection, and the mean time for the fatigue crack to progress from detectible during the inspection to failure was calculated to be about 105 hours. Examination of the right wing lower spar cap revealed the presence of multiple fatigue cracks emanating from corrosion pits within the outboard bolt hole bore. No maintenance records were located for either the airframe or engine. A mechanic was located who performed some periodic maintenance on the aircraft. He stated that during the removal of thehopper in may 1997, 2 years 11 months prior to the accident, he had accomplished the 2,000-hour check of the wing spars in the area of the attach bolts as required by service letter 118. Based on other records, the aircraft was believed to have flown an average of 500 hours per year and would have accumulated only 1,500 hours since the inspection.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON APRIL 22, 2000, AT 1019 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, AIR TRACTOR AT-502A, N15466, PILOTED BY JOE CLIFTON HENDERSON SUFFERED AN IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE LEFT WING DURING AERIAL APPLICATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A LEVEL PASS OVER A CROP FIELD LOCATED AT ELLSWORTH AND GERMANN ROADS, WHEN THE LEFT WING SEPARATED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL TO THE LEFT AND IMPAC THE GROUND INVERTED. THE PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES ON IMPACT. THE LEFT WING WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET FROM THE MAIN FUSELAGE WRECKAGE. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED NO UNUSUAL MANEUVERS PRIOR TO THE WING FAILURE. (.4) THE AIRPLANE WAS SPRAYING CHEMICALS ON A FIELD OF CROPS WHEN THE LEFT WING SEPARATED IN FLIGHT. GROUND WITNESSES SAID THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS MAKING A LEVEL SPRAY PASS OVER A POTATO CROP WHEN THE LEFT WING FAILED. NO UNUSUAL METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA WERE OBSERVED IN THE AREA, AND THE AIRPLANE DID NOT PERFORM ANY UNUSUAL MANEUVERS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE LEFT WING'S LOWER SPAR CAP WAS FOUND TO HAVE FRACTURED IN FATIGUE AT A POINT THAT TRANSECTED THE INBOARD ATTACH BLOCK BOLT HOLE WHERE THE SPAR ATTACHES TO THE CENTER SECTION SPAR CARRY THROUGH MEMBER. MULTIPLE ORIGIN SITES WERE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE BOLT HOLE BORE, WITH CORROSION PITTING EVIDENT AT THE ORIGIN POINTS. THE SPAR CAPS MET THE HARDNESS, CHEMISTRY, AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF THE PRODUCTION DRAWING SPECIFIED MATERIAL. AIR TRACTOR SERVICE LETTER 118 AND THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL SPECIFY AN INSPECTION PROCEDURE, WHICH CALLS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE HOPPER FOR A DETAILED INSPECTION OF THE SPAR CAPS FOR CRACKS; ONE AREA IDENTIFIED AS CRITICAL FOR CRACKING WAS THE INBOARD BOLT HOLE BORE. THE INSPECTION INTERVAL WAS SPECIFIED AS EVERY 2,000 HOURS OR 3 YEARS. THE NUMBER OF CRACK ARREST STRIATIONS IN THE FATIGUE REGION WAS DETERMINED FROM THE FIRST POINT THE CRACK WOULD BE VISIBLE FROM BENEATH THE ATTACH BLOCK DURING THE SPECIFIED INSPECTION, AND THE MEAN TIME FOR THE FATIGUE CRACK TO PROGRESS FROM DETECTIBLE DURING THE INSPECTION TO FAILURE WAS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 105 HOURS. EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT WING LOWER SPAR CAP REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE FATIGUE CRACKS EMANATING FROM CORROSION PITS WITHIN THE OUTBOARD BOLT HOLE BORE. NO MAINTENANCE RECORDS WERE LOCATED FOR EITHER THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE. A MECHANIC WAS LOCATED WHO PERFORMED SOME PERIODIC MAINTENANCE ON THE AIRCRAFT. HE STATED THAT DURING THE REMOVAL OF THEHOPPER IN MAY 1997, 2 YEARS 11 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD ACCOMPLISHED THE 2,000-HOUR CHECK OF THE WING SPARS IN THE AREA OF THE ATTACH BOLTS AS REQUIRED BY SERVICE LETTER 118. BASED ON OTHER RECORDS, THE AIRCRAFT WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE FLOWN AN AVERAGE OF 500 HOURS PER YEAR AND WOULD HAVE ACCUMULATED ONLY 1,500 HOURS SINCE THE INSPECTION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.