Air Tractor AT-502B N502PB

Summary

On 20 October 2012 at about 14:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B registered N502PB, operated by Double R Flight Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Newton, Georgia, 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

20 October 2012 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Newton, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

31.3272, -84.5444

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502B

Registration

N502PB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Double R Flight Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colquitt → Colquitt

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA033

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering, which resulted in a hard forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was performing an agricultural application over a cotton field bordered by a set of power lines. After making a pass over the field, the pilot ascended to fly over the power lines. While turning back toward the field, he “misjudged” the location of a static cable. The airplane’s main landing gear contacted the cable, and the airplane entered a rapid descent. The pilot initiated a forced landing in the cotton field, resulting in a hard landing and substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.