20140717016129A

ON JULY 17, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 2300 CDT, THE AIRMAN WAS INVOLVED IN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WHILE OPERATING IN THE VICINITY OF ELLIS, KS. THE AIRCRAFT, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-401-B, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OPERATED BY THE HOLDER OF A 14 CFR PART 137 CERTIFICATE, WAS ON A REPOSITIONING FLIGHT TO THE OAKLEY AIRPORT (KOEL), OAKLEY, KS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE AIRMAN, A COMMERCIALLY-RATED PILOT WITHOUT INSTRUMENT RATING PRIVILEGES, WHOM PROVIDED PILOT SERVICES FOR THE 14 CFR PART 137 OPERATOR IN KOEL, WAS REPOSITIONING THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE HIGGINSVILLE AIRPORT (KHIG), HIGGINSVILLE, MO TO KOEL; FLIGHT OPERATIONS WERE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO THE 14 CFR PART 137 OPERATOR, AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH FUEL PURCHASE RECEIPTS, THE AIRMAN ARRIVED AT THE MORITZ MEMORIAL AIRPORT (K61), BELOIT, KS FROM KHIG TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL FUEL BEFORE PROCEEDING TO KOEL, ITS FINAL DESTINATION; JET A FUEL WAS PURCHASED AT 2246 CDT AFTER WHICH THE AIRMAN DEPARTED K61 FOR KOEL. THE AWOS LOCATED AT THE HAYS AIRPORT (KHYS), HAYS, KS, 12 NM SOUTHEAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED BROKEN CEILINGS AT 1,200 FT AGL WITH 10 SM VISIBILITY; AWOS REPORTS DO RECORD THAT CEILINGS WERE LOWER TO THE WEST AND BECAME PROGRESSIVELY LOWER THROUGHOUT THE EVENING WITH AREAS OF FOG AND LIGHT PRECIPITATION INDICATIVE OF MARGINAL VFR (MVFR). UPON THE AIRMAN?S FAILURE TO ARRIVE AT KOEL ON THE EVENING OF JULY 17, 2014, THE 14 CFR PART 137 OPERATOR FILED AN ALERT NOTICE; THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS DISCOVERED BY THE LANDOWNER MID-MORNING ON JULY 18, 2014. THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRAVELING ON A SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING WHEN IT INITIALLY CONTACTED THE GROUND OF A TERRACED PASTURE FIELD; RISING TERRAIN WAS PRESENT TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. INITIAL IMPACT SCARRING OF THE GROUND INDICATES THAT THE AIRCRAFT?S RIGHT WING-TIP CONTACTED THE GROUND AT A SIGNIFICANT RIGHT-WING-LOW BANKED ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT?S LANDING GEAR, PROPELLER AND FUSELAGE SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTED THE GROUND SEVERING THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE FROM THE AIRCRAFT; GROUND SCARRING WAS PRESENT AT THIS LOCATION WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH LANDING GEAR AND FUSELAGE IMPACT. AS THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND, THE RIGHT WING SPAR BECAME DETACHED FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE WING SYSTEM WITH ITS ATTACHMENT POINTS BENT AFT; ALL RIGHT WING RIBS AND SKIN WERE DESTROYED UPON IMPACT. THE LEFT WING DISPLAYED EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE HOWEVER THE MAIN SPAR REMAINED INTACT. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE ELEVATORS, WHILE RUDDER AND AILERON ALLOWED ONLY LIMITED DETERMINATION OF CONTINUITY DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE; THE RIGHT AILERON WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT PROHIBITING THE DETERMINATION OF CONTINUITY. PROPELLER DAMAGE WAS INDICATIVE OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE GROUND WITH SIGNIFICANT ENGINE POWER AS NOTED BY PROPELLER-BLADE TWISTING. AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED IN THIS SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS SEVERED FROM THE FUSELAGE AND FOUND BEYOND THE AIRCRAFT IN THE SAME DIRECTIONAL PATH; ADDITIONAL SIDE-LOADING IMPOSED ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS EVIDENCED BY DIRECTIONAL TWISTING OF THE FUSELAGE/TAIL. THE AIRCRAFT?S COCKPIT AND RIGHT SIDE OF AIRCRAFT WAS COVERED WITH GRASS AND DIRT AS IT SLID THROUGH THE WET PRAIRIELAND. PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT SLIDING TO A STOP ON AN EASTERLY HEADING, THE AIRCRAFT?S ENTIRE WING STRUCTURE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT?S RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT, WHILE THE LEFT TANK WAS RUPTURED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FUEL SYSTEM COULD NOT BE EVALUATED FOR OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY DUE TO DAMAGE; GROUND SCARS CONSISTENT WITH FUEL SPILLAGE WERE NOTED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DID NOT OCCUR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT CARRYING ANY ECONOMIC POISON. THE AIRMAN SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT. AT THIS JUNCTURE, NO AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE OR SYSTEM ANOMALY HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE CONTRIBUTORY.