Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and altitude/clearance not being maintained from the transmission wires. A factor to the accident was the transmission wires.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 19, 2003, at 1530 central daylight time, an Ayres S2R-T660, N4114A, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damaged during an in-flight collision with transmission wires and terrain near Blytheville, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. The pilot reported minor injuries. The local flight departed Blytheville Municipal Airport (HKA), Blytheville, Arkansas, about 1310.
According to the pilot's written statement, he had flown over the transmission wires on three separate spray runs and was familiar with their location. The pilot reported that he initiated a spray run to the west and "looked down to check pressure gauge on spray boom [and] when I looked up [the] wires were in my face." The pilot stated he should have kept his "attention/concentration on flying the aircraft and not the spray system."
The pilot reported there were no malfunctions or failures during the accident flight.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI03LA273