20180713011079I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Air Tractor AT-802A · Omak, WA · July 13, 2018

Date: July 13, 2018 · 14:45 local
Place: Omak, WA
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: 7AQG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N376AS
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-802A
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67F
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,000 total1,100 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N376ASRegistered now · Air Tractor AT-802AS/N 802A-0607 · Built 2015 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-802A Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67FTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

N376AS, single engine, AT-802-A, amphibeious float gear aircraft, hit a top branch of a tree while firefighting. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR part 137, firefighting activites with water dispersion. Post event the pilot stated the aircraft's control surfaces were normal in flight and immediately flew the aircraft to the base of operation and was inspected by maintenance for damage. The pilot stated the vertical dimension from the tree was not evident and judgement error occurred in clearing the obstacle. Post event inspection, no structural damage was noted other than marks to underside of the fusealage.

As the FAA filed it

N376AS, SINGLE ENGINE, AT-802-A, AMPHIBEIOUS FLOAT GEAR AIRCRAFT, HIT A TOP BRANCH OF A TREE WHILE FIREFIGHTING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 137, FIREFIGHTING ACTIVITES WITH WATER DISPERSION. POST EVENT THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT'S CONTROL SURFACES WERE NORMAL IN FLIGHT AND IMMEDIATELY FLEW THE AIRCRAFT TO THE BASE OF OPERATION AND WAS INSPECTED BY MAINTENANCE FOR DAMAGE. THE PILOT STATED THE VERTICAL DIMENSION FROM THE TREE WAS NOT EVIDENT AND JUDGEMENT ERROR OCCURRED IN CLEARING THE OBSTACLE. POST EVENT INSPECTION, NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED OTHER THAN MARKS TO UNDERSIDE OF THE FUSEALAGE.