ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 146786
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| Date: | Tuesday 17 July 2012 |
| Time: | 16:30 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-402B |
| Owner/operator: | Friesenborg |
| Registration: | N4843J |
| MSN: | 402B1207 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 734 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W Canada PT6A-15AG |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 2.5 miles NE of Britt, IA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Forest City, IA (FXY) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A witness observed the accident airplane spraying corn about 2 miles south of his farm. He reported that he heard the engine “sputter” and looked south to see if he could see the airplane. At that moment, he observed a “large ball of fire go up.” A power line bordering the east edge of the field being sprayed was severed. In addition, a power line support pole and crossbeam west of the severed power line were damaged. One of the transmission lines was down at that location. Yellow paint transfer marks were observed on the power lines. Fragments attributed to the left wing of the airplane were located in the vicinity of the damaged support pole. The airplane came to rest inverted in the corn field west-northwest of the support pole. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Records revealed that the pilot was engaged in cellphone activity during the accident flight, and one call ended shortly before the accident. The NTSB issued a Safety Alert regarding Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) and it states, “…avoid nonoperational use of PEDs before and during flight."
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power transmission lines during an agricultural application operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distracted attention due to personal cell phone use during flight operations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://globegazette.com/news/local/pilot-hospitalized-after-crop-duster-crash-near-britt/article_26f41d82-d069-11e1-beec-001a4bcf887a.html
https://www.radioiowa.com/2012/07/18/crop-dusting-pilot-crashes-near-britt/
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.kimt.com/content/localnews/iowanews/story/Witness-Describes-Plane-Crash/Rxfgx9xJNk6xIShlO65EhA.cspx]
http://globegazette.com/news/local/buffalo-center-pilot-dies-in-crop-duster-crash/article_dbf447ca-d0f5-11e1-9854-001a4bcf887a.html
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=4843J
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jul-2012 09:36 | Geno | Added |
| 18-Jul-2012 22:13 | Geno | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Jul-2012 22:24 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:56 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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