- Date
- June 2, 1989, 13:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Poplar Bluff, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3159WAir Tractor AT-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890602049069A
- Case key
- 34800
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 in command misjudged the clearance of the aircraft's vertical stabilizer from the 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 conducting an aerial application operation, the commercial plt flew under power lines. The neutral stabilizer failed to clear the lines which caused substantial damage to the empennage. The plt said the rudder was inoperable so he attempted to make a straight ahead emergency landing in a farm field. The acft collided with the terrain causing additional damage to the landing gear and wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3159W
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0474
- Airframe hours
- 3,755
- Engine
- P&W PT6-15AG, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Hall, John M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1988 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- POF · Poplar Bluff, MO
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,750 total · 700 in this make and model · 4,662 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGI, 60 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.