- Date
- August 14, 2012, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hanley Falls, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1021DAir Tractor AT-502
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA -- Minneapolis Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20120814016979A
- Case key
- 84689
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 maintain clearance from a guy wire during an agricultural application pass.
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 conducting an agricultural application pass at the time of the accident. He was flying near a set of power line support poles on the edge of the field in order to establish a global positioning system reference line for subsequent application passes. He was looking to the left to maintain clearance with the support poles when he observed guy wires in his flight path. He immediately pulled up and rolled to the right; however, the left wing struck a guy wire. The airplane impacted the ground inverted, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The pilot stated that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane before the accident. He noted that making the guy wires more visible and greater awareness on his part might have prevented the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot was conducting an agricultural application pass at the time of the accident. He was flying near a set of power line support poles on the edge of the field in order to establish a global positioning system (GPS) reference line for subsequent application passes. He was looking to the left to maintain clearance to the support poles when he observed guy wires in his flight path. He immediately pulled up and rolled to the right; however, the left wing struck a guy wire. The airplane impacted the ground inverted. The pilot stated that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident. He noted that making the guy wires more visible and greater awareness on his part might have prevented the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1021D
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0064
- Airframe hours
- 10,575
- Engine
- P&W Canada PT6A-34AG, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Northstar Aerospray Inc
- Registered owner
- Northstar Aerospray Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 2, 2012 · 95 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Clara City, MN
- Destination
- PVT · Clara City, MN
- Airport
- PVT · Private
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 3, 2010
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 13,880 total · 7,497 in this make and model · 350 in the last 90 days · 181 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- GDB, 8 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 509 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.