- Date
- July 13, 2010, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8260KGrumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-DSM-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100713038679A
- Case key
- 76644
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to pay attention to the power lines and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the corn field during the aerial application flight.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was making an aerial application pass at the south end of a field when the accident occurred. A 30-foot-tall power line ran north and south through the middle of the field. The pilot stated he was paying attention to the trees along the south end of the field during the pass when he realized that he was approaching the wires. He was unable to climb over the wires so he decided to fly under them. In doing so, the airplane contacted 7-foot-high corn and the airplane was pulled down into the field. Substantial damage resulted to the lower wings and the main landing gear mounting truss.
Factual narrative
The pilot was making a clean-up pass at the south end of a field during an aerial application flight when the accident occurred. A 30-foot tall power line ran north and south through the middle of the field. The pilot stated he was paying attention to the trees along the south end of the field during the pass when he realized that he was approaching the wires. He was unable to climb over the wires so he decided to fly under them. In doing so, the airplane contacted the corn which was 7 feet high and the airplane was pulled down into the field. Substantial damage resulted to the lower wings and the main landing gear mounting truss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8260K
- Reported as
- Grumman Acft ENG Cor-Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 639B
- Airframe hours
- 10,003
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6-20, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Hoppe Airspay LLC
- Registered owner
- Hoppe Airspay LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 2010 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- IIB · Independence, IA
- Destination
- IIB · Independence, IA
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 20, 2009
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,750 total · 150 in this make and model · 7,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- ALO, 24 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 12, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 945 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.