What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On April 22, 2014 at approximately 13:15 local time (1815 UTC) an airline transport pilot was involved in a fatal aircraft accident while conducting aerial spraying operations near Garfield, KS. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were partly cloudy, temperature 72 degrees, winds from the south at 18 mph with gusts to 25 mph. The pilot, the lone occupant, was fatally injured and the aircraft, an Air tractor AT-502-B, was destroyed. The flight departed the larned airport (lqr) under visual meteorological conditions.
According to the witness, at about 13:15 local time, the aircraft was observed circling the field where aerial application was being conducted; this property is east and north of the witness' residence. The witness had arranged for the application of pesticides by the agricultural aircraft operator. According to the witness, the aircraft proceeded southbound, then turned northbound to begin the aerial application on the aforementioned field. The witness considered that the aircraft proceeded quite a distance south and then turned north, to begin a spray run. The witness stated that from his residence, black smoke was observed as the aircraft struck the power lines; witness indicated that he subsequently lost sight of the aircraft and thus proceeded outside to determine what had occurred. From the witness? Residence the aircraft could not be observed and so the individual elected to drive to the location of the accident.
The aircraft initially struck power lines that were elevated 60 feet above the ground level and subsequently impacted the ground 275 feet beyond the power lines then came to rest approximately 420 feet north of the power lines. One half of the landing gear came to rest approximately 550 feet north of the power lines. The left wing hit a large row of hay bales and folded the wings approximately parallel to the fuselage. The fuselage came to rest on the right side almost upside down. The engine was damaged and the propeller was separated from the engine at the propeller flange; the propeller flange bolts could not be found. The forward engine exhaust duct was not found to have any diagonal buckling around the circumference. The engine was separated into four primary pieces. The propeller gearbox was found approximately 300 feet north of the original impact point. A post-impact fire did not occur.
A perimeter inspection of the accident site revealed that the static wires were broken on top of the power lines where initial impact occurred. Both poles were broken at the point of impact; an additional 3 power line poles were damaged as a result of the aircraft?s impact.
A post-accident inspection did not reveal any mechanical or aircraft system anomaly that would have been contributory in nature. On June 10, 2014, the aircraft?s engine was further evaluated to determine whether it contributed to the accident; no pre-impact anomalies noted during this inspection.
As the FAA filed it
ON APRIL 22, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 13:15 LOCAL TIME (1815 UTC) AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT WAS INVOLVED IN A FATAL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WHILE CONDUCTING AERIAL SPRAYING OPERATIONS NEAR GARFIELD, KS. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE PARTLY CLOUDY, TEMPERATURE 72 DEGREES, WINDS FROM THE SOUTH AT 18 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH. THE PILOT, THE LONE OCCUPANT, WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502-B, WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED THE LARNED AIRPORT (LQR) UNDER VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, AT ABOUT 13:15 LOCAL TIME, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED CIRCLING THE FIELD WHERE AERIAL APPLICATION WAS BEING CONDUCTED; THIS PROPERTY IS EAST AND NORTH OF THE WITNESS' RESIDENCE. THE WITNESS HAD ARRANGED FOR THE APPLICATION OF PESTICIDES BY THE AGRICULTURAL AIRCRAFT OPERATOR. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED SOUTHBOUND, THEN TURNED NORTHBOUND TO BEGIN THE AERIAL APPLICATION ON THE AFOREMENTIONED FIELD. THE WITNESS CONSIDERED THAT THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED QUITE A DISTANCE SOUTH AND THEN TURNED NORTH, TO BEGIN A SPRAY RUN. THE WITNESS STATED THAT FROM HIS RESIDENCE, BLACK SMOKE WAS OBSERVED AS THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE POWER LINES; WITNESS INDICATED THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THUS PROCEEDED OUTSIDE TO DETERMINE WHAT HAD OCCURRED. FROM THE WITNESS? RESIDENCE THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOT BE OBSERVED AND SO THE INDIVIDUAL ELECTED TO DRIVE TO THE LOCATION OF THE ACCIDENT.
THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY STRUCK POWER LINES THAT WERE ELEVATED 60 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL AND SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND 275 FEET BEYOND THE POWER LINES THEN CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 420 FEET NORTH OF THE POWER LINES. ONE HALF OF THE LANDING GEAR CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 550 FEET NORTH OF THE POWER LINES. THE LEFT WING HIT A LARGE ROW OF HAY BALES AND FOLDED THE WINGS APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO THE FUSELAGE. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST ON THE RIGHT SIDE ALMOST UPSIDE DOWN. THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED AND THE PROPELLER WAS SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE AT THE PROPELLER FLANGE; THE PROPELLER FLANGE BOLTS COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE FORWARD ENGINE EXHAUST DUCT WAS NOT FOUND TO HAVE ANY DIAGONAL BUCKLING AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE. THE ENGINE WAS SEPARATED INTO FOUR PRIMARY PIECES. THE PROPELLER GEARBOX WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET NORTH OF THE ORIGINAL IMPACT POINT. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DID NOT OCCUR.
A PERIMETER INSPECTION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE STATIC WIRES WERE BROKEN ON TOP OF THE POWER LINES WHERE INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED. BOTH POLES WERE BROKEN AT THE POINT OF IMPACT; AN ADDITIONAL 3 POWER LINE POLES WERE DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE AIRCRAFT?S IMPACT.
A POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL OR AIRCRAFT SYSTEM ANOMALY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTORY IN NATURE. ON JUNE 10, 2014, THE AIRCRAFT?S ENGINE WAS FURTHER EVALUATED TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT; NO PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES NOTED DURING THIS INSPECTION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.