- Date
- September 18, 2004, 01:47 local (08:47 UTC)
- Place
- Firebaugh, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8822QAero Commander S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040918022049A
- Case key
- 60204
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 failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from high tension wires in dark night conditions. The reason for the loss of engine power after the wire collision was not determined.
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
The airplane collided with high-tension wires while the pilot was performing an aerial application pass over crops. As the pilot was applying agriculture spray to the fields below, he maneuvered the airplane underneath the high-tension wires in the area. After finishing a field, he configured the airplane in a climb, and the airplane collided with the high-tension wires. The engine experienced a loss of power and the pilot made a forced landing in an almond orchard. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On September 18, 2004, at 0147 Pacific daylight time, an Aero Commander S2R, N8822Q, collided with high-tension wires while the pilot was performing an aerial application flight in Firebaugh, California. Vance Aircraft Salvage, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local aerial application flight departed a private airstrip at an unknown time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was flying in a southerly direction while applying agriculture spray to the fields below in dark night conditions. As he was spraying, he maneuvered the airplane underneath the high-tension wires in the area. After finishing a field, he configured the airplane in a climb. He began the climb too early, and the airplane collided with the high-tension wires. While cutting through the wires, he maneuvered the airplane in a right turn, and the engine experienced a loss of power. With the engine producing no power, he made a forced landing in an almond orchard.
The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. The airplane incurred damage to both wings, the landing gear, booms, and engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8822Q
- Reported as
- Aero Commander S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1522R
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Vance Aircraft Salvage
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Firebaugh, CA
- Destination
- Firebaugh, CA
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 12,354 total · 12,250 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
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 N8822Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.