What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On February 25, 2020 at 1400L, an Air tractor AT-602 with a commercial rated pilot on board was involved in an agricultural spraying operation in Dumas, AR. During the last spray pass, the airman positioned the aircraft over a county road due to spray drift. During this pass the aircraft struck at least one utility pole positioned along the county road. The impact separated one propeller blade tip and caused a major oil leak. The airman pulled the aircraft up and started a left hand bank to make an emergency landing in a nearby field. This was after hearing a loud bang followed by oil on the windscreen. During the left hand turn the airman failed to conduct an emergency dump of his 5000LB load. While completing a 180 degree left hand turn the left wing tip and left main gear impacted the ground. This caused the aircraft to bounce several times before entering a left hand skid that ended with impact with terrain along a ditch. The aircraft received substantial damage during the off field landing. The field showed three touchdown marks with nothing in-between each set of marks. The first contact was a very shallow fast moving left wing tip scrap with the left main only on the ground for a short distance. The second contact had debris confirming the majority of the left wing tip damage. The left navigation light was found among the various fiberglass fragments of the left wing tip. The third and final contact show both main gear joining into one as the aircraft started a left-hand skid. This sideways skid continued until impact with the county road ditch on the right side of the aircraft. The tailwheel shows almost no signs of contact with the ground until several feet before the impact with the ditch. The tailwheel was found failed along with rudder damage consistent with ground contact in a sideways manner. Both aircraft wings were found to have wrinkling in the upper surface. In addition both wing tips were found to be damaged. The propeller had additional gouge damage to a second blade from an unknown cause. It was also noted that a hopper pump propeller blade was missing about half its length. All propeller damage is consent with impact with a stationary object. No other aircraft damage was found showing impact with the utility pole. Investigation of the nearby utility poles only showed minor power line damage not consistent with impact from an aircraft. Majority of the aircraft induced damage had been removed by the power company the day of the accident. The operator was requested to retain the propeller if further inspection is required by the NTSB.
As the FAA filed it
ON FEBRUARY 25, 2020 AT 1400L, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-602 WITH A COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT ON BOARD WAS INVOLVED IN AN AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING OPERATION IN DUMAS, AR. DURING THE LAST SPRAY PASS, THE AIRMAN POSITIONED THE AIRCRAFT OVER A COUNTY ROAD DUE TO SPRAY DRIFT. DURING THIS PASS THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK AT LEAST ONE UTILITY POLE POSITIONED ALONG THE COUNTY ROAD. THE IMPACT SEPARATED ONE PROPELLER BLADE TIP AND CAUSED A MAJOR OIL LEAK. THE AIRMAN PULLED THE AIRCRAFT UP AND STARTED A LEFT HAND BANK TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A NEARBY FIELD. THIS WAS AFTER HEARING A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY OIL ON THE WINDSCREEN. DURING THE LEFT HAND TURN THE AIRMAN FAILED TO CONDUCT AN EMERGENCY DUMP OF HIS 5000LB LOAD. WHILE COMPLETING A 180 DEGREE LEFT HAND TURN THE LEFT WING TIP AND LEFT MAIN GEAR IMPACTED THE GROUND. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BOUNCE SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE ENTERING A LEFT HAND SKID THAT ENDED WITH IMPACT WITH TERRAIN ALONG A DITCH. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE OFF FIELD LANDING. THE FIELD SHOWED THREE TOUCHDOWN MARKS WITH NOTHING IN-BETWEEN EACH SET OF MARKS. THE FIRST CONTACT WAS A VERY SHALLOW FAST MOVING LEFT WING TIP SCRAP WITH THE LEFT MAIN ONLY ON THE GROUND FOR A SHORT DISTANCE. THE SECOND CONTACT HAD DEBRIS CONFIRMING THE MAJORITY OF THE LEFT WING TIP DAMAGE. THE LEFT NAVIGATION LIGHT WAS FOUND AMONG THE VARIOUS FIBERGLASS FRAGMENTS OF THE LEFT WING TIP. THE THIRD AND FINAL CONTACT SHOW BOTH MAIN GEAR JOINING INTO ONE AS THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A LEFT-HAND SKID. THIS SIDEWAYS SKID CONTINUED UNTIL IMPACT WITH THE COUNTY ROAD DITCH ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE TAILWHEEL SHOWS ALMOST NO SIGNS OF CONTACT WITH THE GROUND UNTIL SEVERAL FEET BEFORE THE IMPACT WITH THE DITCH. THE TAILWHEEL WAS FOUND FAILED ALONG WITH RUDDER DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH GROUND CONTACT IN A SIDEWAYS MANNER. BOTH AIRCRAFT WINGS WERE FOUND TO HAVE WRINKLING IN THE UPPER SURFACE. IN ADDITION BOTH WING TIPS WERE FOUND TO BE DAMAGED. THE PROPELLER HAD ADDITIONAL GOUGE DAMAGE TO A SECOND BLADE FROM AN UNKNOWN CAUSE. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT A HOPPER PUMP PROPELLER BLADE WAS MISSING ABOUT HALF ITS LENGTH. ALL PROPELLER DAMAGE IS CONSENT WITH IMPACT WITH A STATIONARY OBJECT. NO OTHER AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS FOUND SHOWING IMPACT WITH THE UTILITY POLE. INVESTIGATION OF THE NEARBY UTILITY POLES ONLY SHOWED MINOR POWER LINE DAMAGE NOT CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT FROM AN AIRCRAFT. MAJORITY OF THE AIRCRAFT INDUCED DAMAGE HAD BEEN REMOVED BY THE POWER COMPANY THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE OPERATOR WAS REQUESTED TO RETAIN THE PROPELLER IF FURTHER INSPECTION IS REQUIRED BY THE NTSB.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.