- Date
- July 29, 2023, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alta, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N402PRAir Tractor AT-402B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230729008049A
- Case key
- 192749
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 airplane’s encounter with a dust devil, which resulted in a loss of lift, and subsequent collision with powerlines.
Findings · 5
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 reported that he was completing an aerial application flight over a cultivated field. During the fourth pass, the airplane encountered a dust devil (also called a whirlwind), lost lift and impacted powerlines. Upon impact with the powerlines the rudder separated from the airplane and the airplane began a left turn. Unable to arrest the turn, the pilot reduced power and made a forced landing to the field that he was spraying. Upon touch down the left main landing gear separated from the fuselage and the airplane slid to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, vertical stabilizer and rudder. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the Federal Aviation Administration Aviation (FAA) Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28) and the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual found no detailed information listed about dust devils or the potential hazards of flying through dust devils.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N402PR
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-402B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402B-1282
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,679
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15HE, 650 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Barts Flying Service Inc, doing business as Barts Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Barts Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 2023
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- October 24, 2022
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 6,600 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 6,550 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- KSLB, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KSLB 291235Z AUTO 02008KT 9SM CLR 19/18
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 16, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB 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.