- Date
- July 31, 2004, 08:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Clayton, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3159WAir Tractor AT-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040731017799A
- Case key
- 59787
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 the high tension power lines.
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
While maneuvering during an aerial application of chemicals on a field, the 5,972-hour pilot reported that the left wing collided with the lower set of transmission wires running perpendicular to the field being sprayed, about 60 feet off the ground. The pilot added that he had flown under the same set of wires six or seven times earlier that morning; however, during the last pass, he felt that "the aircraft ballooned and the tail came up." Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 2004, at 0850 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-400 single-engine turbine powered agricultural airplane, N3159W, was destroyed, following an in-flight collision with power lines while maneuvering near Clayton, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Goodman's Flying Service, Inc., of Chase, Louisiana. 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 flight originated from the operator's private airstrip near Chase, Louisiana, about 0840.
The operator reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that while the 5,972-hour pilot was on the second load of the day, while spraying a soy bean field on a south to north direction, the left wing collided with the lower set of transmission wires running perpendicular to the field being sprayed, about 60 feet off the ground. The pilot added that he had flown under the same set of wires six or seven times that morning; however, during the last pass, he felt that "the aircraft ballooned and the tail came up."
Following the collision with the wires, the pilot lost control of the airplane, the left wing dragged the ground, the nose dug-in, and the airplane came to rest in the inverted position where a post crash fire ensued.
Examination of the airplane by the operator revealed that the fuselage of the airplane broke in half during the accident sequence.
The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was the Adams County Airport (HEZ) near Natchez, Louisiana, located 17-nautical miles southeast of the accident site. At 0915, the Automated Weather Observing System at HEX reported wind calm, visibility 7 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.98 inches of Mercury.
A completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) was not received from the pilot or operator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3159W
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 400-0474
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Donald Goodman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Chase, LA
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
- 23
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,972 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- HEZ, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3159W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.