ERA22FA376

The pilot performed an aerial application flight without anomalies, returned to the departure airstrip, and departed on the second flight. An onboard device that recorded the flight track indicated that while en route, the airplane climbed to a maximum altitude of 575 ft above mean sea level (msl) before it began a slight right turn, and then the data ended. The data stopped recording about 1,650 ft south of the accident location. The airplane struck multiple rows of corn at an angle, rather than perpendicular or parallel to the corn which is common practice in an emergency landing. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation before the accident. The emergency chemical dump handle was in the closed position when examined at the accident site, indicating the pilot likely did not perceive an emergency during the accident sequence. The pilot’s medical records show he had a history of recurrent sinusitis. At his most recent primary care office visit, eight months before the accident, he had an acute sinus infection and complained of dizziness. Toxicology testing detected a therapeutic level of the motion sickness medication meclizine in his blood. While sinusitis can cause dizziness, there is no record of a current infection and his daughter reported he was feeling well. Although a sudden onset of vertigo or dizziness would be impairing, the meclizine should help to alleviate those symptoms. Given the available medical information, the lack of evidence that the pilot perceived an in-flight emergency, and the inconsistent way the airplane landed diagonal to the corn instead of with the rows, this investigation was unable to determine if the pilot’s medical conditions or effects from his use of meclizine contributed to this accident.

On August 19, 2022, about 1005 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, N602PB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Glendora, Mississippi. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. According to the operator’s son, the pilot had planned for three flights to spray the target field. According to onboard avionics with non-volatile memory, the airplane departed the private airstrip for the first flight at 0912. The airplane flew to the field to be sprayed, which was about 14 miles from the departure airport, performed the aerial application, and then returned to the airport at 0959. Then, at 1002, the airplane departed the private airstrip for the second flight. The airplane climbed to about 450 ft msl and flew about 5.6 miles south until the data stopped recording about 1,650 ft south of the accident location. In the final 30 seconds of data the airplane climbed from 400 ft to about 575 ft msl and slowed from 116 knots to 102 knots. Figure 1. A view of the airplane flight track. The two yellow lines on the left are the first flight to the spray field. The yellow flight track on the far right is the accident flight track, which stops near the blue airplane indicating the accident site. According to the autopsy report from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, Pearl, Mississippi, the pilot’s cause of death was blunt force injuries and no significant natural disease was identified. Toxicology testing detected meclizine at 21.6 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) in the pilot’s femoral blood and in his urine. Meclizine is an antihistamine available over the counter to prevent symptoms of motion sickness such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness or by prescription to treat vertigo associated with diseases affecting the vestibular system. The therapeutic range of meclizine is 10 to 100 ng/mL, and its half-life is about 5 to 6 hours. Meclizine can cause drowsiness and may impair the mental or physical ability to perform potentially hazardous tasks such as driving or operating heavy machinery. The Federal Aviation Administration does not allow the use of this medication chronically or within 36 hours of flying. Based on pre-event medical records, the pilot had a history of recurrent sinusitis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. At his most recent visit on December 16, 2021, he reported having congestion with episodes of vertiginous dizziness. The airplane came to rest upright in a cornfield, at an elevation of 140 ft, with the wreckage oriented on a 230° heading. All major components of the airplane were located in the vicinity of the main wreckage. The airplane struck multiple rows of corn at an angle, rather than perpendicular or parallel to the corn, before impacting the ground. The left wingtip red-light lens cover was located in the vicinity of the first ground impact scar. The first vegetation strikewas about 155 ft from the main wreckage and there was an odor of fuel at the accident site. The fuselage remained intact, with the empennage attached to the fuselage. The leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was dented and remained attached to the empennage. The right horizontal stabilizer was bent aft and wrinkled about 1 ft from the empennage attach point. The left and right elevators remained attached to the empennage with the trim tabs attached to each elevator and both elevators moved freely by hand. The rudder and rudder trim tab remained attached to the vertical stabilizer and were undamaged. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the flight controls in the cockpit to the elevator and rudder. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage and was bent aft. The right aileron remained attached to the right wing and the outboard section was impact damaged. The left-wing tip was impact separated and was located about 140 ft before the main wreckage. The inboard section of the left wing remained attached to the fuselage with the outboard 20 ft impact-damaged and bent aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the ailerons to the flight controls in the cockpit through multiple overload breaks in the push/pull rods. The emergency dump handle inside the cockpit that jettisoned the load in the event of an emergency was found in the “closed” position. The engine remained attached to the airframe engine mounts. The front reduction gearbox was impact-separated and remained attached to the propeller hub. Remnants of the front reduction gearbox flange remained attached to the power section of the engine. Multiple gear teeth on the reduction gearbox exhibited rotational scoring. The exhaust stacks were removed to facilitate examination. The 2nd stage power turbine remained intact and one of the blade tips was impact-separated and located at the accident site in the vicinity of the engine. Multiple turbine blades exhibited trailing edge damage. Rotational scoring was noted on the power turbine section case. Furthermore, the sections of the exhaust duct exhibited torsional/compression damage. The airplane was equipped with a five-blade Hartzell controllable pitch propeller. Two of the five propeller blades were impact separated from the hub and located along the debris path. The other three propeller blades remained attached to the hub. Multiple blades were bent the opposite direction of travel and exhibited chordwise scratching. Furthermore, one blade exhibited leading edge gouging.