- Date
- July 24, 2019, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Stanton, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N15400Air Tractor AT 502
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190724015029A
- Case key
- 99932
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 wires during an agricultural application flight.
Findings · 2
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, during an agricultural application flight, he had reconnoitered the area of operation, but on the last pass, the airplane struck an unseen wire. He recalled that "the airplane's right wing was trying to drop," and he tried to keep the airplane level, but the right wing collided with the ground, and the airplane cartwheeled and then came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during an aerial application flight, he had reconnoitered the area of operation, but on the last pass, the airplane struck an unseen wire. He recalled that, "the airplane's right wing was trying to drop," and he tried to keep the airplane level, but the right wing collided with the ground and the airplane cartwheeled before it came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15400
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT 502 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0174
- Built
- 1992
- Airframe hours
- 10,628.3
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Aurora Cooperative Elevator, doing business as Plains Aerial Application Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Co Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 2019
- Departed
- Stanton, TX
- Destination
- Stanton, TX
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 14, 2018
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 1,580 total · 650 in this make and model · 1,400 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KBPG, 3 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 5, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.
Other investigations on N15400 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.