- Date
- March 5, 1983, 17:58 local (22:58 UTC)
- Place
- Hubbards Fork, KY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4060ADouglas B-26C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830305065479A
- Case key
- 5894
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt & acft had been fighting forest fires earlier in the day. A late developing fire necessitated another dispatch. The acft arrived on scene & checked in with the lead acft circling overhead coordinating the fire fighting efforts. The tanker made 2 runs over the fire area following the lead acft. After the 2nd run, the acft banked left in a level turn to make another run without using the lead acft. During the 3rd run the tanker struck trees near the top of a 1800 ft ridgeline. Witnesses on the ground remarked how low the acft was. According to the plt's peers, he took pride in doing his job well & always strove to put the chemical right on target. There had been occasions in the past where this zeal to succeed had resulted in his going lower than the 150 ft AGL minimum altitude mandated by forestry service regs. He had, on occasions, returned to base with tree foliage stuck in his aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4060A
- Reported as
- Douglas B-26C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-34102A
- Airframe hours
- 1,558
- Engine
- P&W R-2800-79, 2,000 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Registered owner
- Dennis Lynch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 22, 1983 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Ashville, NC
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,199 total · 733 in this make and model · 3,829 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LOZ, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.