Thrush S2R-H80 N30529

Summary

On 3 September 2020 at about 12:46 local time, a Thrush S2R-H80 registered N30529, operated by Dawson Brothers Spraying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Hawkinsville, Georgia, 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

3 September 2020 at 12:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Hawkinsville, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

32.1953, -83.4758

Aircraft

Thrush S2R-H80

Registration

N30529

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Dawson Brothers Spraying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hawkinsville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA306

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an antenna tower while maneuvering during an agricultural application flight while flying directly toward the sun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, while spraying a field during his first agricultural application flight, he flew the airplane over the field east and west and was blinded by the sun. For the next application, he decided to fly north and south over the field, so the sun was not in his eyes. The airplane was operating normally, and he finished spraying the field. He remembered that he was supposed to spray another field to the east, but he could not remember anything after that. The airplane was found resting in the field. The airplane and a 150-ft-tall antenna tower located on the east edge of the field were substantially damaged, and a portion of the tower structure was found entangled with the right wing. The pilot was seriously injured. Review of astronomical data indicated that the sun at the time of the accident in relation to the tower location was almost due east. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.