20190609006259A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-602 · La Ward, TX · June 9, 2019

Date: June 9, 2019 · 11:00 local
Place: La Ward, TX
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: 1PNG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N2602M
NTSB investigation: NTSBGAA19CA354
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-602
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,000 total3,000 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N2602MRegistered now · Air Tractor AT-602S/N 602-0645 · Built 2002 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-602 Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesTurbo-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.

Operator was spraying a field east of hwy 72 which contained known wires. Pilot was trimming field and thought he had passed over wires, actually the wires were still forward. The pilot flew under the wires. The wires caught the top of rudder and ripped the rudder off the aircraft, stayed connected by cables only. The pilot located area for emergency landing. The fuselage buckled upon landing.

As the FAA filed it

OPERATOR WAS SPRAYING A FIELD EAST OF HWY 72 WHICH CONTAINED KNOWN WIRES. PILOT WAS TRIMMING FIELD AND THOUGHT HE HAD PASSED OVER WIRES, ACTUALLY THE WIRES WERE STILL FORWARD. THE PILOT FLEW UNDER THE WIRES. THE WIRES CAUGHT THE TOP OF RUDDER AND RIPPED THE RUDDER OFF THE AIRCRAFT, STAYED CONNECTED BY CABLES ONLY. THE PILOT LOCATED AREA FOR EMERGENCY LANDING. THE FUSELAGE BUCKLED UPON LANDING.

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 GAA19CA354Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportLa Ward, TXThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a wire during an aerial application flight in sun glare conditions.Jun 9, 2019 · Substantial damage