20110205002429A

On 02-05-2011, 9.30AM (local) an aerial applicator , while conducting an aerial application operation, hit a standpipe (irrigation pipe) with its propeller. The aircraft at the time of the accident was laying down smoke to identify the wind direction for drift determining purpose. The aircraft made a low pass over the field, the pilot observed several standpipes in the field. Once he completed the low pass he immediately started to lay smoke at an altitude of approximately 20 ft AGL when he hit a standpipe with its propeller. The pilot maintained control over the aircraft and tried to perform an emergency landing on the ajar dirt road. Once the aircraft made contact with the dirt road the aircraft's right main gear went of the side of the dirt road hitting soft dirt and the aircraft overturned sliding to a stop inverted. The pilot was not injured during the accident during the investigation it was brought to our attention that the pilot did not perform a high or proper low recon of the field causing the pilot to not have observed all hazards in the field. The operator informed us that during normal operations a ground spotter would help with the identifying potential hazards on the field to be sprayed. At the time of the accident the aircraft ground spotter had not arrived yet, and the pilot elected to continued with the operation.