20200725016259A

ON JULY 25, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 1148 MDT, N502KJ, AIR TRACTOR MODEL AT-502B S/N 502B-2821 CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATIONS CRASHED INTO A CORNFIELD LOCATED 6.5 MILES SSE OF GRANT, NE. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FIVE-POINT AIRBAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM, WHICH APPEARED PROPERLY FASTENED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WHILE BENT OVER AT THE WAIST THE PILOT DID NOT SLIDE FORWARD IN THE SEAT. FIRST RESPONDERS REPORTED THE LAP BELT, CROTCH STRAP AND BOTH SHOULDER HARNESSES APPEARED PROPERLY ENGAGED; THEY USED THE BUCKLE RELEASE AND DID NOT CUT ANY OF THE WEBBING DURING THE EXTRACTION PROCESS. HOWEVER, WHILE THE LAP BELT AND CROTCH STRAP SEEMED UNDAMAGED, THE WEBBING OF BOTH SHOULDER HARNESS STRAPS APPEARED TO TEAR APART COMPLETELY WHERE THEY PASSED THROUGH THE ADJUSTMENT BUCKLES. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE IT APPEARS THE LEFT AIRBAG DID FULLY INFLATE, IT SEEMS THE RIGHT AIRBAG ONLY PARTIALLY DEPLOYED; BOTH OF THE INFLATOR SUBASSEMBLIES APPEARED UNDAMAGED. THE PILOT OF A SECOND AIRCRAFT CONCURRENTLY SPRAYING AN ADJACENT FIELD DIRECTLY SOUTH OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT STATED THAT BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE SPRAYING EAST TO WEST, MAKING LEFT TURNS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS IN A RACETRACK AERIAL APPLICATION PROCESS. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH DATA DOWNLOADED FROM THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BATUM CPU RECOVERED FROM THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. BOTH PILOTS KEPT VISUAL AND RADIO CONTACT THROUGHOUT THE OPERATION. THE WITNESS PILOT STATED THAT WHILE HE WOULD NORMALLY CLIMB OUT OF THE FIELD ACHIEVING HEIGHTS AROUND 200-300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) PRIOR TO THE DESCENT INTO THE RACETRACK PATTERN, HE OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT CLIMBING TO ABOUT 450-500 FEET AGL IN THE TURNS. THE WITNESS PILOT STATED HE LAST SAW THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 1148 MDT; IT WAS OFF HIS RIGHT WING PULLING UP OUT OF THE FIELD INTO A "RIGHT TURN". IT WAS AT 90-100 DEGREES OF BANK WITH A SLIGHT PITCH UP (10-12 DEGREES NOSE-UP) WITH CONSTANT BANK AND THE NOSE FALLING THRU THE HORIZON SIMILAR TO A LAZY EIGHT. AT THIS POINT, THE WITNESS PILOT MADE A LEFT TURN AND LOST SIGHT OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. DUE TO A SIX-SECOND DELAY FROM DATA BUFFERING THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT?S ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DID NOT RECORD ITS FINAL TURN. BASED ON THE LAST PLOTTED POSITION AND THE LOCATION OF THE IMPACT SITE A RIGHT TURN WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. A MORE LIKELY SCENARIO IS THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT MADE A LEFT TURN, LOST CONTROL, ENTERED A STALL/SPIN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DATA FROM BOTH AIRCRAFT SHOWED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER IN THE TURNS. IT APPEARS THE ACCIDENT PILOT EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT BY PERFORMING AGGRESSIVE AND RECKLESS MANEUVERS. THE TWO ON-SCENE FAA INVESTIGATORS NOTED THE AIRCRAFT?S FINAL HEADING WAS 079 DEGREES. IT APPEARS THE AIRCRAFT HIT AT A 45-DEGREE PITCH DOWN ANGLE TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. CORNSTALKS AFT OF THE LEFT WING WERE CLEANLY CUT OFF AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE, PRESUMABLY CUT-OFF BY THE SPRAY BOOM UNDER THE LEFT WING. THERE WAS NO IMPACT SCAR AND EXCEPT FOR THE UPPER ENGINE COWLING AND HOPPER LID, FOUND ABOUT 25 YARDS OFF THE NOSE, THE DEBRIS FIELD DID NOT EXTEND BEYOND THE FOOTPRINT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE IMPACT CRUSHED THE HOPPER SECTION TO THE POINT THE FIREWALL WAS LESS THAN 24 INCHES FROM THE COCKPIT. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF AN INFLIGHT ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONDITION OF THE PROPELLER BLADES IS CONSISTENT WITH AN ENGINE OPERATING AT HIGH RPM AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. CORNSTALKS JUST AHEAD OF THE VISIBLE PROPELLER BLADE HAD A CLEAN 45-DEGREE CUT. ONE INVESTIGATOR NOTED TWISTING OF THE TAIL SECTION AHEAD OF THE ELEVATOR ON THE EMPENNAGE, POSSIBLY FROM A SPIN OR INCIPIENT SPIN. INVESTIGATORS CONFIRMED CONTINUITY OF ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS. A BROKEN ELEVATOR BUCKLE IN THE EMPENNAGE AND SEPARATED ELEVATOR TUBE JUST AFT OF THE PILOT SEAT APPEARED TO BE IMPACT DAMAGE. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF FATIGUE OR CORROSION ON ANY OF THE DAMAGED SURFACES.