- Date
- August 14, 2000, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Helena, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N73184Air Tractor AT-502
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000814011659A
- Case key
- 49996
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 obstacle clearance. A contributing factor was the sun glare.
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
This was the pilot's first flight of the morning, and he had completed spraying 35 acres of cotton. The pilot was flying from east to west, and had crossed over some trees and dropped down for a swath run when the right wing struck an irrigation sprinkler pivot. About 5-6 feet of the right wing and half of its aileron separated from the airplane. The pilot flew the airplane back to the staging strip and landed without further incident. The pilot stated that the sun was in his eyes, and it hampered him from seeing the irrigation pivot in time to avoid it.
Factual narrative
On August 14, 2000, at 0730 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502 agricultural airplane, N73184, was substantially damaged when it struck an irrigation sprinkler apparatus while maneuvering near Helena Arkansas. The airplane was owned and operated by the Riddell Flying Service, Inc., of West Helena, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local boll weevil eradication flight originated from a staging strip south of Helena at 0700.
According to the pilot, this was his first flight of the day, and he had completed spraying 35 acres of cotton. He was flying from east to west, and had crossed over some trees and dropped down for a swath run when the right wing struck an irrigation sprinkler pivot. About 5-6 feet of the right wing and half of its aileron separated from the airplane. The pilot flew the airplane back to the staging strip and landed without further incident. The pilot stated that the sun was in his eyes, and it hampered him from seeing the irrigation pivot in time to avoid it.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73184
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0010
- Airframe hours
- 5,443
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-34, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Riddell Flying Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 8, 2000 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,902 total · 1,098 in this make and model · 1,831 as pilot in command · 443 in the last 90 days · 185 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 181 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.