Ayres S2R-R1340 N30951

Summary

On 23 May 2012 at about 16:00 local time, a Ayres S2R-R1340 registered N30951, operated by Scott Thompson Trustee, was involved in an accident near Clear Lake, South Dakota, 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

23 May 2012 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Clear Lake, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Clear Lake Muni (5H3)

Coordinates

44.7972, -96.6322

Aircraft

Ayres S2R-R1340

Registration

N30951

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Scott Thompson Trustee

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Estelline → Estelline

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12CA313

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to perform a detailed observation of the power lines before beginning the aerial application work, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with the two lower wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he saw the power lines at the north end of the field as he started the aerial application work. However, he reported that he did not conduct a detailed observation of the lines. The power lines had two lower wires that he did not anticipate, and the arrangement of the lines was different from those he had seen in the area previously. As he approached the north end of the field, he was concentrating on a small group of trees when the airplane impacted the lines. He stated that the two lower wires caught him completely by surprise. The windshield separated as a result of the impact, and he had difficulty seeing because of debris and wind in his eyes. He subsequently elected to dump the application load and execute a precautionary/forced landing to an open field. The pilot reported that there were no anomalies related to the airplane prior to impacting the wires. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and empennage during the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.