N2252N

On July 5, 2000, at 0800 central daylight time, an Ayres S2R-T34 agricultural airplane, N2252N, struck a power line during an aerial application flight near Anahuac, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by Swope Cattle, Inc., at Anahuac, Texas, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, received minor injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Anahuac Chambers County Airport at an unknown time.

The pilot reported that he was spaying a rice field, and during the third pass he planned to fly the airplane under a 40-foot agl power line and then over a tree line for the turn around maneuver. During the pass under the power line, the propeller, vertical stabilizer, and rudder struck the power line cable. Subsequently, the pilot flew the airplane over the tree line and landed the airplane left wing low in a flooded rice field. Upon touchdown, the airplane spun to the left, damaging the engine mounts and partially separating the tail section.