20110717015139I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Air Tractor AT-400 · Congerville, IL · July 17, 2011

Date: July 17, 2011 · 09:45 local
Place: Congerville, IL
Phase of flight: Other, Specify
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: ZTCG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N432WA
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-400
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 15,000 total1,500 in this make and model300 in the last 90 days

N432WARegistered now · Air Tractor AT-400S/N 400-0435 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-400 Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Airman stated that during a swath run he momentarily became distracted. When he returned his attention to the flight path he realized he was rapidly approaching a utility pole and attempted to climb over it. Airman states he clipped the top of the utility pole with the propeller and right spray boom. He then made a precautionary landing in a nearby restricted landing area. The propeller was missing approximately nine inches from one blade and the right spray boom had been completely detached from the aircraft. The pilot received no injuries. Airman stated he was previously aware of the location of the utility pole.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMAN STATED THAT DURING A SWATH RUN HE MOMENTARILY BECAME DISTRACTED. WHEN HE RETURNED HIS ATTENTION TO THE FLIGHT PATH HE REALIZED HE WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING A UTILITY POLE AND ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB OVER IT. AIRMAN STATES HE CLIPPED THE TOP OF THE UTILITY POLE WITH THE PROPELLER AND RIGHT SPRAY BOOM. HE THEN MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN A NEARBY RESTRICTED LANDING AREA. THE PROPELLER WAS MISSING APPROXIMATELY NINE INCHES FROM ONE BLADE AND THE RIGHT SPRAY BOOM HAD BEEN COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES. AIRMAN STATED HE WAS PREVIOUSLY AWARE OF THE LOCATION OF THE UTILITY POLE.