Summary
On January 18, 2001, a Ayres S2R-T34 (N8927Q) was involved in an accident near Holtville, CA. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the wires. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
On January 18, 2001, at 1542 Pacific standard time, an Ayres S2R-T34, N8927Q, collided with utility lines and crashed in an agricultural field near Holtville, California. The commercial pilot received minor injuries while the unseated passenger received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was being operated as an agricultural application flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The local flight originated from the Stoker Company agricultural strip in Imperial, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. A flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot told Imperial County Sheriff's Department deputies that he was spraying a carrot field.
This accident is documented in NTSB report LAX01LA078. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8927Q.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the wires. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On January 18, 2001, at 1542 Pacific standard time, an Ayres S2R-T34, N8927Q, collided with utility lines and crashed in an agricultural field near Holtville, California. The commercial pilot received minor injuries while the unseated passenger received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was being operated as an agricultural application flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The local flight originated from the Stoker Company agricultural strip in Imperial, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. A flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot told Imperial County Sheriff's Department deputies that he was spraying a carrot field. As he approached the field from the west, the pilot flew under the utility lines that ran along Meloland Road but hit the second and lower set of lines. He was not aware of this set of utility lines and [just] heard a loud noise, lost control of the airplane, and impacted the ground in the center of the field. The unrestrained passenger was ejected from the cockpit.
Deputies had found the lower set of utility lines broken. The upper section of the vertical stabilizer had been separated from the airplane.
A post crash investigation revealed that the passenger was a maintenance employee with the company. The airplane was configured to accommodate a single pilot.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX01LA078