Summary
On October 24, 2011, a Air Tractor INC AT-301 (N3169C) was involved in an incident near Mcalpin, FL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's misjudgment of the airplane's distance from known transmission lines.
According to the pilot, he had successfully completed six aerial application passes below transmission lines that ran diagonally above a rectangular agricultural field. The pilot had also successfully completed 11 or 12 similar application flights over the same field during previous years, including 1 earlier that month. As the pilot turned the airplane toward its seventh pass, sun position and windshield spray residue resulted in his briefly losing sight of the transmission lines. The pilot subsequently regained sight of the transmission lines and continued the pass; however, the airplane struck the lines, damaging the wing spar, before returning to the originating airport. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA050. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3169C.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's misjudgment of the airplane's distance from known transmission lines.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the pilot, he had successfully completed six aerial application passes below transmission lines that ran diagonally above a rectangular agricultural field. The pilot had also successfully completed 11 or 12 similar application flights over the same field during previous years, including 1 earlier that month. As the pilot turned the airplane toward its seventh pass, sun position and windshield spray residue resulted in his briefly losing sight of the transmission lines. The pilot subsequently regained sight of the transmission lines and continued the pass; however, the airplane struck the lines, damaging the wing spar, before returning to the originating airport. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA12CA050