Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE WITH THE TELEPHONE POLE.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 1, 1994, at 1411 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502, N9152C, was destroyed when it struck a pole and the ground near Bosco, Louisiana. The airplane, owned and operated by Keahey Flying Service and flown by a commercial pilot, was on a local aerial application flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot received serious burn injuries.
The aircraft departed from the Columbia, Louisiana, Municipal Airport at 1315 central daylight time and proceeded to Bosco, Louisiana, for aerial application of pesticide to a cotton field. The pilot stated that he finished spraying the field in an east/west direction. He further stated that he then started his "trim" passes in a north/south direction. According to the pilot's enclosed statement, the right wing struck a pole about 4 feet from the top of the pole and about 6 feet inboard of the right wing "causing the aircraft to crash about 300 yards from the point of impact." The airplane was consumed by post-crash fire. A nearby witness pulled the pilot from the burning plane immediately after the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# FTW94LA257