20180921013999A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-802A · Napoleon, ND · September 21, 2018

Date: September 21, 2018 · 12:59 local
Place: Napoleon, ND
Phase of flight: Other, Specify
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: RSMG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N968JB
NTSB investigation: NTSBGAA18CA563
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-802A
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,590 total560 in this make and model280 in the last 90 days

N968JBRegistration cancelled Oct 30, 2021 · Air Tractor AT-802AS/N 802A-0669 · Built 2016 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-802A Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AGTurbo-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.

While attempting to conduct aerial application of herbicide adjacent to a set of power lines, the pilot struck the top of a power line pole with his right wing. The aircraft struck a subsequent power line pole before impacting a nearby pasture area. The pilot stated that he planned to do a spray pass parallel to the power lines and was focusing on a power line pole further ahead on the line and the he clipped the power line pole which was on higher ground than the pole he was focusing on. The pilot stated that there were no other contributing factors to the accident.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONDUCT AERIAL APPLICATION OF HERBICIDE ADJACENT TO A SET OF POWER LINES, THE PILOT STRUCK THE TOP OF A POWER LINE POLE WITH HIS RIGHT WING. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A SUBSEQUENT POWER LINE POLE BEFORE IMPACTING A NEARBY PASTURE AREA. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PLANNED TO DO A SPRAY PASS PARALLEL TO THE POWER LINES AND WAS FOCUSING ON A POWER LINE POLE FURTHER AHEAD ON THE LINE AND THE HE CLIPPED THE POWER LINE POLE WHICH WAS ON HIGHER GROUND THAN THE POLE HE WAS FOCUSING ON. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB GAA18CA563Accident · Serious injuriesData collectionFinal reportNapoleon, NDThe pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line pole during an agricultural application flight.Sep 21, 2018 · Substantial damage