Air Tractor AT502 N730JD

Summary

On 4 August 2019 at about 17:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT502 registered N730JD, operated by Sky Tech Inc, was involved in an accident near Waco, Nebraska, 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

4 August 2019 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Waco, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.9378, -97.5022

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT502

Registration

N730JD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Sky Tech Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairmont → Fairmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA480

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from wires during an agricultural application flight.

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 circled the intended spray field looking for obstacles and noted a "big tower" and saw guy wires. He stated that he then approached the field from the south and began looking for the previously seen wires but that he "must have gotten fixated on the lower wires," and the airplane struck wires he had not seen. The airplane pitched up to the right, the wires broke, and the airplane surged forward. He subsequently maneuvered and landed the airplane on a nearby field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and engine mounts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.