# Accident 20000814011659A: Airtrc AT502, Helena, AR, August 14, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 14, 2000, 07:30 local time
- Place: Helena, AR
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 34.5192° N, 90.5998° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5192&lon=-90.5998&mi=10
- Aircraft: N73184, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73184-2002-10-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-502 (registry code 0390303, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-502) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT502
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW00LA232](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA232) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000814011659A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) PILOT STATED HE WAS FLYING EASTBOUND INTO SUN AS HE DESCENDED OVER TREES TO MAKE ANOTHER SWATH RUN. DUE TO SUNLIGHT IN HIS EYES AND GLARE ON CANOPY HE COULD NOT SEE TERMINAL END OF A CENTER-PIVOT IRRIGATION RIG APPROX 10 FEET AGL. HE STATED THAT APPROX. 5 TO 6 FEET OF THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WING AND HALF THE RIGHT AILERON WERE COMPLETELY SEVERED BY COLLISION WITH THE TERMINAL END OF THE CENTER-PIVOT IRRIGATION RIG.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW00LA232](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW00LA232), Aug 14, 2000: Air Tractor AT-502 (N73184), Helena, AR, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance. A contributing factor was the sun glare.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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