Air Tractor AT-301 N4330S

Summary

On 31 July 2000 at about 14:13 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N4330S, operated by Harris Spray Inc., was involved in an accident near Brockway, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 July 2000 at 14:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Brockway, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.3097, -105.9902

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N4330S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Harris Spray Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brockway → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA148

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a routine aerial application flight, the aircraft collided with a power pole guy wire. The pilot stated that his spray path was parallel to a series of power transmission lines and that he did not see the guy wire prior to the collision. The guy wire severed the outboard section of the aircraft's right wing and aileron. The aircraft subsequently rolled to the right and collided with terrain. The aircraft came to rest, inverted, approximately 1,100 feet from the initial impact. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.