What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On October 18, 2000 at 1130 local time the pilot of an air tractor AT-301 struck a guy wire extending out from a transmission line which ran along the south edge of a field he was starting to spray. The guy wire extended into the cotton field and stabilized the pole, which had a junction line that split off and ran away from the field. The wire strike was about 4 feet in from the right wing tip and tore the end of the wing off. The airplane was about 3 feet above the crop height, 5 feet above the ground when it hit the guy line. It impacted the ground and burned within 660 feet of the wire strike. The pilot was killed. This was the pilot's first pass on the field, flying from west T0 east and he started on the south west corner of the field. He flew right along a large transmission line but failed to see a branch line that west south and the guy lines that extended north into the field he was spraying. The cotton crop in the field made it difficult to seethe guy wires because of the lack of contrast. The pilot failed to see guy lines extending from a transmission pole, because the sun was overhead and the shadow from the transmission line pole was on the guy lines. He chose to fly his first leg adjacent and paraellel to the transmission line, further reducing his chance to spot the guy line extending into the field.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON OCTOBER 18, 2000 AT 1130 LOCAL TIME THE PILOT OF AN AIR TRACTOR AT-301 STRUCK A GUY WIRE EXTENDING OUT FROM A TRANSMISSION LINE WHICH RAN ALONG THE SOUTH EDGE OF A FIELD HE WAS STARTING TO SPRAY. THE GUY WIRE EXTENDED INTO THE COTTON FIELD AND STABILIZED THE POLE, WHICH HAD A JUNCTION LINE THAT SPLIT OFF AND RAN AWAY FROM THE FIELD. THE WIRE STRIKE WAS ABOUT 4 FEET IN FROM THE RIGHT WING TIP AND TORE THE END OF THE WING OFF. THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 3 FEET ABOVE THE CROP HEIGHT, 5 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN IT HIT THE GUY LINE. IT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND BURNED WITHIN 660 FEET OF THE WIRE STRIKE. THE PILOT WAS KILLED. THIS WAS THE PILOT'S FIRST PASS ON THE FIELD, FLYING FROM WEST T0 EAST AND HE STARTED ON THE SOUTH WEST CORNER OF THE FIELD. HE FLEW RIGHT ALONG A LARGE TRANSMISSION LINE BUT FAILED TO SEE A BRANCH LINE THAT WEST SOUTH AND THE GUY LINES THAT EXTENDED NORTH INTO THE FIELD HE WAS SPRAYING. THE COTTON CROP IN THE FIELD MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEETHE GUY WIRES BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF CONTRAST. THE PILOT FAILED TO SEE GUY LINES EXTENDING FROM A TRANSMISSION POLE, BECAUSE THE SUN WAS OVERHEAD AND THE SHADOW FROM THE TRANSMISSION LINE POLE WAS ON THE GUY LINES. HE CHOSE TO FLY HIS FIRST LEG ADJACENT AND PARAELLEL TO THE TRANSMISSION LINE, FURTHER REDUCING HIS CHANCE TO SPOT THE GUY LINE EXTENDING INTO THE 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.