20180226003149A

On February 26 at approximately 17:18 local, an Air tractor 802 was conducting a day VFR flight with no flight plan filed to perform commercial aerial application. The aircraft was turning from due east to due west preparing to make the final aerial application pass on the field. The aircraft was spraying 2,4-D. The aircraft was almost complete with a left hand 180 degree turn, heading 250 into the sun when it struck two pecan trees on the edge of the opposing field. Tree chops made by the aircraft indicated a 22 to 23 degree left bank. Although the aircraft hit multiple tree limbs, the largest being around 3 inches in diameter, it continued to fly another 150 yards. Most of the tree impact occurred on the right wing. A piece of the right hand wing tip cap was found 10 yards beyond the tree. The right liquid spray boom that was previously attached 18 inches below, and slightly aft of the wing trailing edge was broken into three pieces and separated from the aircraft. Indicated by the debris found at the initial point of impact. The aircraft inverted and struck the ground at high velocity, low angle, upside down, close to wings level, indicated by the ground scars observed. The aircraft then slid another 30 yards to where it came to rest. At the initial impact crater, approximately 2 and a half feet deep, three propeller blades were found, separated from the hub. Also found were the top hopper door, hopper auger, and the pilot's front window frame. The aircraft lost all structure forward of the front wing spar/firewall. As the aircraft slid, the protective tubular cage surrounding the upper cockpit area was sheared from the main structure of the aircraft and pieces were found among the debris field. The engine was separated from the aircraft and found laying immediately to the right of the main body of wreckage. The reduction gearbox was split in two, with the front half laying 20 yards beyond the main fuselage. A large round dent, with compression bending was observed on the right wing leading edge, centered in front of the right aileron. The dent came from a branch impact, and pushed the leading edge of the wing against the front spar. Positive flight control continuity was established and wing flap position was verified as being in fully symetrically retracted position by a measurement taken at the wing flap actuators. The pilot was an extremely experienced acrobatic pilot, and was known to regularly fly airshows. The cause of death as determined by the state medical examiner was blunt force trauma to the chest. The pilot's flight time logbook was never recovered, and reported flight time was acquired from aerial application logs held at the operators base of operations and the pilot's submission on his last medical exam. The nine areas of FAA responsibility were investigated with none found to be a contributing factor to this accident. Toxicology is being performed, and this report will be amended if toxicoloigy was a factor.