Air Tractor AT-502B N61267

Summary

On 13 August 2008 at about 22:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B registered N61267, operated by Delta Dusters Inc., was involved in an accident near Tunica, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 August 2008 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Tunica, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

None (NONE)

Coordinates

34.6850, -90.3478

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502B

Registration

N61267

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Delta Dusters Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sledge → Tunica

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08CA279

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines during low-altitude maneuvers.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the agricultural airplane flew along a set of power lines, which ran over a wooded area that restricted his ability to see both sides of a field that he was going to spray. After flying along the power lines, he determined that he had enough clearance to "fit under the wire." He thought that it looked "good," and began his spray run on the east side of a field passing under the power lines without incident. He then began a spray run on the west side of the field, but as he approached the power lines he realized that the "wire was too low to go under." Rather than risk hooking his main landing gear on the wires and flipping the airplane onto its back, he chose to "fly into the wire." The airplane received substantial damage to the propeller, engine, empennage, wings and landing gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.