Wirestrike Accident Air Tractor AT-402 N4555E,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 186012
 
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Date:Tuesday 29 March 2016
Time:17:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic AT3T model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Air Tractor AT-402
Owner/operator:Ranspot Flying Service
Registration: N4555E
MSN: 402-0811
Year of manufacture:1991
Total airframe hrs:7647 hours
Engine model:Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Williamson County, Beyersville, SE of Taylor, TX -   United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:Agricultural
Departure airport:Burlington, TX (PVT)
Destination airport:Beyersville, TX
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Before conducting the aerial application flight, the pilot circled the application site four times in order to identify obstructions. He saw power line poles on the east and west sides of the field, but he did not see an older, unmarked power line pole in the middle of the field, nor the associated powerline that ran across the field. The pilot began the application, and, during the fourth pass, the right wing impacted the powerline. The pilot stated that it was a gray and hazy day, which made the power pole and line difficult to see, and he also stated that he was unfamiliar with the application site. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.


Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain visual separation from the power line due to a lack of identifiable and contrasting features, which led to an inflight collision with the line while maneuvering in gray, hazy conditions.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN16LA139
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N4555E

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
30-Mar-2016 15:12 Geno Added
30-Mar-2016 20:47 Geno Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
21-Dec-2016 19:30 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
19-Aug-2017 13:31 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
26-Dec-2021 19:42 Anon. Updated [Source, Category]

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