# Accident 20020914023939A: Airtrc AT301, Altus, OK, September 14, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 14, 2002, 13:00 local time
- Place: Altus, OK
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: TJNG
- Location: 34.5125° N, 99.4294° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5125&lon=-99.4294&mi=10
- Aircraft: N23736, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N23736-2013-05-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-301 (registry code 0390103, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-301) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series (registry code 52016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT301
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA256) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020914023939A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2002, AT 1300 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME AN AIR TRACTOR AT-301 AGRICULTURAL AIRPLANE, N23736, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR ALTUS, OKLAHOMA. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY JACKSON COUNTY SPRAYING SERVICE, INC., OF ALTUS, OKLAHOMA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE, SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE OLUSTEE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, ALTUS, OKLAHOMA. ACCORDING TO INITIAL REPORTS, THE PILOT WAS SPRAYING MALATHION TO A FIELD AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO FLY BENEATH A POWER LINE WHEN THE VERTICAL STABILIZER CONTACTED THE POWER LINE. A SECTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, A FORCED LANDING WAS EXECUTED TO A WHEAT FIELD. (-23) MR. BOOKER EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO FLY UNDER THE POWER LINE CLOSEST TO HIM, THAT CUT ACROSS THE FIELD THAT HE WAS SPRAYING, AND THEN AFTER CLEARING IT, HE WOULD THEN FLY OVER THE TOP OF ANOTHER POWERLINE THA                                     T WAS LOCATED AT THE END OF THE FIELD. MR. BOOKER'S VERTICAL STABILIZER CONTACTED THE FIRST POWER LINE, AND SHEARED THE VERTICAL STABILIZER OFF. THEN HE FLEW THROUGH THE SECOND POWER LINES AT THE END OF THE FIELD. THIS CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO BE UNCONTROLLABLE AND RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE STRIKING THE GROUND AND COMING TO A REST UPSIDE DOWN. MR. BOOKER STATED THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF POOR JUDGEMENT AND PILOT FATIGUE.

## 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 FTW02LA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA256), Sep 14, 2002: Air Tractor AT-301 (N23736), Altus, OK, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with electrical wires while maneuvering during an aerial application flight.

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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