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| Date: | Tuesday 17 July 2007 |
| Time: | 19:22 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-802A |
| Owner/operator: | Bureau of Land Management |
| Registration: | N806MA |
| MSN: | 802A-0058 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2113 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67AG |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winnemucca, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Winnemucca, NV (WMC) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane, along with two others, was engaged in dropping fire retardant on a wildfire. The pilot planned on dropping his load into a retardant gap area that was created by the retardant drops of the other two air tanker aircraft. The pilot reported that he "was anxious to get [to the fire] because that fire was definitely on its way through the gap." During the first run of his drop, the pilot flew in a southerly direction heading downhill. After the first drop, the pilot said he "pulled off left and executed a 270-degree right turn to set up for another drop." The pilot began his second drop heading north uphill into rising terrain. After a few moments, the pilot realized the airplane would not out climb the terrain. He attempted a right turn to remain clear of the terrain; however, the airplane impacted about 10 feet below the crest of a hill in a level attitude. The pilot said that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and he had been caught by a downdraft during the drop.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain while maneuvering.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20070804X01106&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 04-Dec-2017 18:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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