What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The accident aircraft was operating under part 137, day visual flight rules, aerial application when the aircraft hit a radio antenna tower guy wires.
The aircraft departed pond creek airport Oklahoma. The aircraft departed with full fuel, 275 gallons of water and 25 gallons of grazonnext.
A witness was videoing out of his home window and captured the aircraft hitting the tower guy wires. The video shows all forward motion of the aircraft stop when the aircraft came in contract with the guy wires. The aircraft falls to the ground. The aircraft falls in a nose down right wing down attitude.
A tower security camera mounted on the tower shows the aircraft impact the guy wires at 1712. The video shows the tower begins to vibrate and guy wires moving past the camera. The camera records for approximately 23 seconds and stops recording when power is lost.
A witness working on the property stated it was the aircraft?s fourth pass and was heading south.
The radio antenna tower was 1040 feet above ground level (AGL). The tower had a total of 30 guy wires extending to the tower. The guy wires runs were at magnetic headings from the tower were 350 degrees, 230 degrees and 110 degrees. The guy wires were grouped in three sets of 10 guy wires extending 690 feet from the base of the tower, in three directions. The aircraft hit the top guy wires heading 230 from the tower.
The aircraft hit the southwest top two or three guy wires at approximately 125 AGL. The top southwest cable was severed 151 feet from the ground attachment. The remaining portion of the top southwest guy wire was found in the south field near the south top cables attach point. The south top guy wire showed signs of fraying and broken strands but remained attached to the tower. Yellow paint was noted on the number 2 southwest guy wire but was not severed. The force of the impact and the severed and damaged guy wires caused the tower to collapse.
The tower guy wires hit the aircraft below and across the engine air inlet. A 12 inch propeller tip was found to the north side of the southwest guy wires. The tip was ripped and broken with signs of the guy wire impact.
The aircraft impacted a ravine approximately 400 feet south from the tower guy wires. A post-crash fire consumed the aircraft. The aircraft hit the ground nose down and broke over at the hopper. The engine was pointing south and the fuselage folded on top of the engine heading north inverted.
As the FAA filed it
THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING UNDER PART 137, DAY VISUAL FLIGHT RULES, AERIAL APPLICATION WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HIT A RADIO ANTENNA TOWER GUY WIRES.
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED POND CREEK AIRPORT OKLAHOMA. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED WITH FULL FUEL, 275 GALLONS OF WATER AND 25 GALLONS OF GRAZONNEXT.
A WITNESS WAS VIDEOING OUT OF HIS HOME WINDOW AND CAPTURED THE AIRCRAFT HITTING THE TOWER GUY WIRES. THE VIDEO SHOWS ALL FORWARD MOTION OF THE AIRCRAFT STOP WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME IN CONTRACT WITH THE GUY WIRES. THE AIRCRAFT FALLS TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT FALLS IN A NOSE DOWN RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE.
A TOWER SECURITY CAMERA MOUNTED ON THE TOWER SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT THE GUY WIRES AT 1712. THE VIDEO SHOWS THE TOWER BEGINS TO VIBRATE AND GUY WIRES MOVING PAST THE CAMERA. THE CAMERA RECORDS FOR APPROXIMATELY 23 SECONDS AND STOPS RECORDING WHEN POWER IS LOST.
A WITNESS WORKING ON THE PROPERTY STATED IT WAS THE AIRCRAFT?S FOURTH PASS AND WAS HEADING SOUTH.
THE RADIO ANTENNA TOWER WAS 1040 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL). THE TOWER HAD A TOTAL OF 30 GUY WIRES EXTENDING TO THE TOWER. THE GUY WIRES RUNS WERE AT MAGNETIC HEADINGS FROM THE TOWER WERE 350 DEGREES, 230 DEGREES AND 110 DEGREES. THE GUY WIRES WERE GROUPED IN THREE SETS OF 10 GUY WIRES EXTENDING 690 FEET FROM THE BASE OF THE TOWER, IN THREE DIRECTIONS. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE TOP GUY WIRES HEADING 230 FROM THE TOWER.
THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE SOUTHWEST TOP TWO OR THREE GUY WIRES AT APPROXIMATELY 125 AGL. THE TOP SOUTHWEST CABLE WAS SEVERED 151 FEET FROM THE GROUND ATTACHMENT. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE TOP SOUTHWEST GUY WIRE WAS FOUND IN THE SOUTH FIELD NEAR THE SOUTH TOP CABLES ATTACH POINT. THE SOUTH TOP GUY WIRE SHOWED SIGNS OF FRAYING AND BROKEN STRANDS BUT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE TOWER. YELLOW PAINT WAS NOTED ON THE NUMBER 2 SOUTHWEST GUY WIRE BUT WAS NOT SEVERED. THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT AND THE SEVERED AND DAMAGED GUY WIRES CAUSED THE TOWER TO COLLAPSE.
THE TOWER GUY WIRES HIT THE AIRCRAFT BELOW AND ACROSS THE ENGINE AIR INLET. A 12 INCH PROPELLER TIP WAS FOUND TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SOUTHWEST GUY WIRES. THE TIP WAS RIPPED AND BROKEN WITH SIGNS OF THE GUY WIRE IMPACT.
THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A RAVINE APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET SOUTH FROM THE TOWER GUY WIRES. A POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND NOSE DOWN AND BROKE OVER AT THE HOPPER. THE ENGINE WAS POINTING SOUTH AND THE FUSELAGE FOLDED ON TOP OF THE ENGINE HEADING NORTH INVERTED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.