What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 18, 2018 at 1720 eastern daylight time, an Air tractor AT-502B aircraft, N502RL, registered to a certificated aerial application company and operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it impacted a soybean field following a spray pass in bethel township, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions and light winds prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 137 without a flight plan. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated from the wolf airport, shipshewana, Indiana approximately 35 minutes prior to the accident.
According to witnesses, the pilot had been spraying a soybean field adjacent to their home and during a climbing turn out of the field ?went vertical then rolled up-side-down during the turn, he was able to get the wings level, but hit the ground before he could pull out of the dive.? A number of witness? Also stated they felt the pilot was ?showing-off? For the group of people who were watching from the home. Following impact, two witnesses ran to the aircraft to assist, but found the pilot deceased. Fire rescue personnel were called and responded within 10 minutes.
The aircraft was found upright in on a 320 degrees heading with all components present within the accident area. The propeller had 2 blades hidden from view with one remaining blade showing leading edge deformity indicative of being under power on impact. All three blades remained attached to the propeller hub. The propeller governor was found fractured due to impact forces. The engine and hopper section of the aircraft were found highly fragmented and covered in fungicide. The engine was broken in two at the turbine blade section. All motor mounts and bracing were broken forward of the cockpit. The cockpit area showed breaching at the windshield due to fuselage twisting on impact. The cockpit floor was crushed and moved upward into the crew area. The instrument panel remained relatively intact. The fuselage showed signs of left side compression and twisting. Both wings showed leading edge crushing and deformity of approximately 45-degree nose down impact. Both ailerons were damaged by impact forces with flaps showing approximately 10 degrees of deployment at time of impact. Both main landing gear were hidden from view and folded under the wings. Control continuity could not be established at the time of investigation due to extensive floor and flight control damage. The vertical stabilizer remained attached to the fuselage with the top and middle rudder attach points failed and the rudder folded to the left. The horizontal stabilizer also remained attached with significant damage to both elevators. There was no evidence of post-crash fire.
Weather report at azo at 2153 UTC was: wind 010 degrees at 5KNOTS, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered, temp 28 c dew point 18 c and altimeter 29.96.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 18, 2018 AT 1720 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502B AIRCRAFT, N502RL, REGISTERED TO A CERTIFICATED AERIAL APPLICATION COMPANY AND OPERATED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED A SOYBEAN FIELD FOLLOWING A SPRAY PASS IN BETHEL TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE COMMERCIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 137 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE WOLF AIRPORT, SHIPSHEWANA, INDIANA APPROXIMATELY 35 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PILOT HAD BEEN SPRAYING A SOYBEAN FIELD ADJACENT TO THEIR HOME AND DURING A CLIMBING TURN OUT OF THE FIELD ?WENT VERTICAL THEN ROLLED UP-SIDE-DOWN DURING THE TURN, HE WAS ABLE TO GET THE WINGS LEVEL, BUT HIT THE GROUND BEFORE HE COULD PULL OUT OF THE DIVE.? A NUMBER OF WITNESS? ALSO STATED THEY FELT THE PILOT WAS ?SHOWING-OFF? FOR THE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WERE WATCHING FROM THE HOME. FOLLOWING IMPACT, TWO WITNESSES RAN TO THE AIRCRAFT TO ASSIST, BUT FOUND THE PILOT DECEASED. FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL WERE CALLED AND RESPONDED WITHIN 10 MINUTES.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND UPRIGHT IN ON A 320 DEGREES HEADING WITH ALL COMPONENTS PRESENT WITHIN THE ACCIDENT AREA. THE PROPELLER HAD 2 BLADES HIDDEN FROM VIEW WITH ONE REMAINING BLADE SHOWING LEADING EDGE DEFORMITY INDICATIVE OF BEING UNDER POWER ON IMPACT. ALL THREE BLADES REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE PROPELLER HUB. THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR WAS FOUND FRACTURED DUE TO IMPACT FORCES. THE ENGINE AND HOPPER SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND HIGHLY FRAGMENTED AND COVERED IN FUNGICIDE. THE ENGINE WAS BROKEN IN TWO AT THE TURBINE BLADE SECTION. ALL MOTOR MOUNTS AND BRACING WERE BROKEN FORWARD OF THE COCKPIT. THE COCKPIT AREA SHOWED BREACHING AT THE WINDSHIELD DUE TO FUSELAGE TWISTING ON IMPACT. THE COCKPIT FLOOR WAS CRUSHED AND MOVED UPWARD INTO THE CREW AREA. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL REMAINED RELATIVELY INTACT. THE FUSELAGE SHOWED SIGNS OF LEFT SIDE COMPRESSION AND TWISTING. BOTH WINGS SHOWED LEADING EDGE CRUSHING AND DEFORMITY OF APPROXIMATELY 45-DEGREE NOSE DOWN IMPACT. BOTH AILERONS WERE DAMAGED BY IMPACT FORCES WITH FLAPS SHOWING APPROXIMATELY 10 DEGREES OF DEPLOYMENT AT TIME OF IMPACT. BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE HIDDEN FROM VIEW AND FOLDED UNDER THE WINGS. CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED AT THE TIME OF INVESTIGATION DUE TO EXTENSIVE FLOOR AND FLIGHT CONTROL DAMAGE. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE WITH THE TOP AND MIDDLE RUDDER ATTACH POINTS FAILED AND THE RUDDER FOLDED TO THE LEFT. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ALSO REMAINED ATTACHED WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO BOTH ELEVATORS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF POST-CRASH FIRE.
WEATHER REPORT AT AZO AT 2153 UTC WAS: WIND 010 DEGREES AT 5KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, SCATTERED, TEMP 28 C DEW POINT 18 C AND ALTIMETER 29.96.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.