Air Tractor AT 402 N5128N

Summary

On 19 May 2018 at about 16:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT 402 registered N5128N, operated by Arena Pesticide Management Inc, was involved in an accident near Nicolaus, California, 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

19 May 2018 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Nicolaus, California, United States

Coordinates

38.9328, -121.4967

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 402

Registration

N5128N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Arena Pesticide Management Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Knights Landing → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA309

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a power transmission wire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during an agricultural application flight, he observed a power transmission wire with no obstructions underneath. He added that he turned around to enter the spray field under the wire, where he observed one wire sagging lower than the other wires. While flying under the power transmission wire, the airplane encountered turbulence, so he decided to lower the nose to prevent being pushed into the wire. However, the tail rose up and struck the power transmission wire. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was calm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.