- Date
- May 21, 1987, 05:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mendota, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4012YAyres S2R-T34
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870521038759A
- Case key
- 25329
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During an agricultural application flight, the aircraft struck a pole that was located 30 feet within the field boundary. The pilot stated that due to the dawn light and the way the pole blended in with the field along with a light amount of chemical on the windshield, he did not see the pole to avoid the collision. There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4012Y
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R-T34
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6047
- Airframe hours
- 4,550
- Engine
- P&W PT6-34-AG, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Agro West, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1987 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- Mendota, 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,800 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 7,800 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 315° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.