Wirestrike Accident Air Tractor AT-602 N602RR,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 166554
 
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Date:Tuesday 27 May 2014
Time:08:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic AT6T model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Air Tractor AT-602
Owner/operator:Klondike Aviation Llc
Registration: N602RR
MSN: 602-1197
Year of manufacture:2011
Total airframe hrs:1435 hours
Engine model:P&W Canada PT6A-65AG
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:South of Gueydan, Vermilion parish, Louisiana -   United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:Agricultural
Departure airport:Gueydan, LA
Destination airport:Gueydan, LA
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
A witness reported observing the airplane make a downwind turn that would re-align it with the field the pilot was spraying. The airplane then entered a descent and struck 30-ft-high power lines before impacting the ground about 30 ft forward of the power lines in a left-wing-low, steep nose-down attitude, which was consistent with the airplane stalling before it impacted the power lines. The pilot was known to make steep, high-G turns when spraying fields.

The day before the accident, the pilot flew the accident airplane, and it struck a bird, which damaged the right wing's leading edge. A mechanic inspected the wing and deemed the damage to be minor; the pilot agreed and subsequently flew the damaged airplane for about 12 hours. A company pilot reported that he heard the pilot comment over the radio during an application pass later that same day that the wing was starting to open up where the bird had impacted it. Even with this knowledge, the pilot continued to fly the airplane. The company pilot also stated that he had looked at the airplane on the morning of the accident and noted that several rivets were missing around the damaged area and that he would not have flown the airplane in that condition; however, he did not share his concerns with the pilot or the operator. Due to impact and postimpact fire damage, it could not be determined if the damaged wing contributed to the accident; however, the spar was undamaged.

The pilot's wife stated that he was not taking any medications and that he was in good health but that he did use marijuana recreationally on the weekends only. The accident occurred on a Tuesday. Although postaccident toxicology tests detected a low level of marijuana in the pilot's blood and lung, it is unlikely that it impaired his performance on the day of the accident.


Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control, which resulted in a stall and subsequent collision with power lines.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN14LA255
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=602RR

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-May-2014 00:06 Geno Added
28-May-2014 05:22 Geno Updated [Source, Narrative]
28-May-2014 07:35 Red Baron Updated [Aircraft type]
28-May-2014 07:36 harro Updated [Aircraft type]
28-May-2014 15:25 Geno Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative]
30-May-2014 05:03 Geno Updated [Time, Source]
21-Dec-2016 19:28 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
29-Nov-2017 14:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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