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| Date: | Monday 10 March 2025 |
| Time: | 09:05 UTC |
| Type: |  Air-Tractor AT-502B |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-MOZ |
| MSN: | 502-0212 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8817 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 8 km NE of Ventersdorp -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A pilot on-board an Air Tractor AT-502B aircraft with registration ZS-MOZ was engaged in a crop-spraying operation (aerial application) at a private farm near Ventersdorp in North West province when the accident occurred.
According to the pilot, he took off from a private farm near Ventersdorp to another private farm situated 8 kilometres (km) north-east of Ventersdorp to conduct a crop-spraying operation; his ground crew was stationed in the designated landing zone near the same maize field to be sprayed. This was the pilot's first operation on the farm; the farm owner was a new client. The pilot stated that he familiarised himself with the area on the same morning (10 March 2025) using a ground vehicle and escorted by the farm's foreman who showed him all the fields to be sprayed as well as highlighted obstacles in the area, including electrical powerlines. After he had familiarised himself with the area, he conducted a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft and found no anomalies. The aircraft had approximately 500 US gallons of insecticide in the hopper. At approximately 0850Z, the aircraft took off and headed to the maize field that needed spraying; he completed three uneventful spray runs. As he positioned the aircraft for the fourth chemical application run, the aircraft impacted the high-voltage powerlines on his flight path. The powerlines snapped and entangled the aircraft which landed hard on the field. Third-party damage was caused to the maize crops. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured; he vacated the aircraft unassisted.
During the interview, the pilot stated that he was aware of the location of the powerlines; however, his vision was compromised by the shadow of the cloud at the time, and the aircraft impacted the powerlines.
Good weather conditions prevailed at the time of the flight, with scattered low clouds in the area.
Probable Cause(s)
The pilot failed to maintain adequate visual separation from the known obstacle during a low-level crop-spraying operation; the aircraft struck the wires before it impacted the ground.
Contributing Factor(s)
1. Cloud shadow reduced visibility which caused the pilot to lose situational awareness; this led to the wire strike and the subsequent hard landing.
2. The pilot lacked prior flight operation experience in the area, which led to high operational risk.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Jun-2025 17:58 | ASN | Added |
| 15-Jun-2025 18:00 | ASN | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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