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| Date: | Monday 19 September 2022 |
| Time: | c. 12:20 LT |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-502B |
| Owner/operator: | Smart Air Services Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-KDR |
| MSN: | 502B-0361 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | W of Canaga, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Walugra Airstrip, QLD |
| Walugra Airstrip, QLD | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of an Air Tractor AT-502B aircraft was completing aerial spray operations near Chinchilla, Queensland when it crashed, fatally injuring the pilot.
While the pilot was conducting a spray run parallel to the paddock fence line at about 8 ft above the ground, a large bird (Australian bustard) struck the right Perspex windshield. During the impact, the right windshield was shattered, with the bird carcass found inside the aircraft.
The site examination showed that, after the birdstrike, the aircraft continued flying for a further 310 m, or about 5 seconds before it collided with terrain.
Contributing factor
- During aerial spraying operations at low-level, a large bird (Australian bustard) struck the right windshield of the aircraft and entered the cockpit. This likely affected the pilot’s ability to control the aircraft, resulting in a collision with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/7908955/pilot-dies-in-qld-crop-dusting-plane-crash/?cs=9444
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-19/qld-pilot-dead-in-plane-crash-near-chinchilla/101453920
https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/au/KDR
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/2/18625_1191478215.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Ex N6074A
Media:
A man in his 30s has died after a crop duster plane crashed in Canaga, north east of Chinchilla. Emergency Services were called to the scene around midday, after a nearby farmer raised the alarm. https://t.co/srqc17iEXt @DallyWatkinsC #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/o3KlUza9w3
— 7NEWS Toowoomba (@7NewsToowoomba) September 19, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Sep-2022 08:04 | gerard57 | Added |
| 19-Sep-2022 08:41 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 19-Sep-2022 08:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code, ] |
| 19-Sep-2022 10:46 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 19-Sep-2022 11:46 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Jun-2023 06:29 | harro | Updated |
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