# Accident 20120717015559A: Air Tractor Inc AT-402B, Britt, IA, July 17, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 17, 2012, 16:15 local time
- Place: Britt, IA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: PXTG
- Location: 43.1211° N, 93.7469° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.1211&lon=-93.7469&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4843J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4843J-2013-05-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-402B (registry code 0390208, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-402b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG (registry code 52246, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-15ag) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PT6A-15AG
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,886 total, 732 in this make and model, 75 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN12LA453](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA453) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120717015559A

## Narrative

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

PILOT WAS SPRAYING FROM EAST TO WEST ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF A POWERLINE CORRIDOR. AS AIRCRAFT ENTERED FIELD ON EAST SIDE, IT STRUCK THE LOWER POWER LINE, CUTTING THE LINE WITH THE PROPELLER, THEN DIPPED INTO THE CORN FIELD. PILOT PULLED OUT TO GAIN ALTITUDE, AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND IMPACTED THE NORTH POLE ON THE TWO-POLE SET. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE AND CRASH LANDED INTO A CORN FIELD. THERE WAS A POST FIRE CRASH AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT DIED APPROXIMATELY 7 HOURS LATER DUE TO BURN INJURIES HE SUSTAINED.

## 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 CEN12LA453](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA453), Jul 17, 2012: Air Tractor AT-402B (N4843J), Britt, IA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power transmission lines during an agricultural application operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distracted attention due to personal…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.