What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
According to the employee of the agriculture operator, the pilot was conducting Aerial application to his residence for mosquito abatement at dusk. Twenty minutes into the flight the aircraft struck a 50 ft tall rotating beacon tower that was unlit. The airplane was on a heading of 278 degrees magnetic at an altitude of 40 ft above the ground, according to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. According to the united states naval observatory astronomical applications department, at 2100CDT the sun was .2 degrees above the horizon, on an azimuth of 301.6 degrees magnetic. Eyewitness located on the ground (2 miles southwest of the accident site) stated the aircraft was flying unusually late in the evening and the operation could be heard and occasionally seen from this location. The sound of the initial impact of the tower was heard, followed by the initial terrain impact. The wreckage site was located in a soybean field about 280 ft west of the unlit tower on a heading of 279 degrees magnetic. The impact area indicated a low angle and high velocity impact. The debris field extended approximately 57 ft west of the initial terrain point of impact as the airplane came to rest at a heading of 094 degrees magnetic. The weather station on the airport indicated a light northwest wind.
As the FAA filed it
ACCORDING TO THE EMPLOYEE OF THE AGRICULTURE OPERATOR, THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION TO HIS RESIDENCE FOR MOSQUITO ABATEMENT AT DUSK. TWENTY MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A 50 FT TALL ROTATING BEACON TOWER THAT WAS UNLIT. THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A HEADING OF 278 DEGREES MAGNETIC AT AN ALTITUDE OF 40 FT ABOVE THE GROUND, ACCORDING TO AUTOMATIC DEPENDENT SURVEILLANCE-BROADCAST. ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES NAVAL OBSERVATORY ASTRONOMICAL APPLICATIONS DEPARTMENT, AT 2100CDT THE SUN WAS .2 DEGREES ABOVE THE HORIZON, ON AN AZIMUTH OF 301.6 DEGREES MAGNETIC. EYEWITNESS LOCATED ON THE GROUND (2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE) STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING UNUSUALLY LATE IN THE EVENING AND THE OPERATION COULD BE HEARD AND OCCASIONALLY SEEN FROM THIS LOCATION. THE SOUND OF THE INITIAL IMPACT OF THE TOWER WAS HEARD, FOLLOWED BY THE INITIAL TERRAIN IMPACT. THE WRECKAGE SITE WAS LOCATED IN A SOYBEAN FIELD ABOUT 280 FT WEST OF THE UNLIT TOWER ON A HEADING OF 279 DEGREES MAGNETIC. THE IMPACT AREA INDICATED A LOW ANGLE AND HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT. THE DEBRIS FIELD EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 57 FT WEST OF THE INITIAL TERRAIN POINT OF IMPACT AS THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST AT A HEADING OF 094 DEGREES MAGNETIC. THE WEATHER STATION ON THE AIRPORT INDICATED A LIGHT NORTHWEST WIND.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.