ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 186012
Last updated: 1 May 2020
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| Date: | 29-MAR-2016 |
| Time: | 17:30 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-402 |
| Owner/operator: | Ranspot Flying Service |
| Registration: | N4555E |
| C/n / msn: | 402-0811 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Williamson County, Beyersville, SE of Taylor, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Burlington, TX (PVT) |
| Beyersville, TX | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Before conducting the aerial application flight, the pilot circled the application site four times in order to identify obstructions. He saw power line poles on the east and west sides of the field, but he did not see an older, unmarked power line pole in the middle of the field, nor the associated powerline that ran across the field. The pilot began the application, and, during the fourth pass, the right wing impacted the powerline. The pilot stated that it was a gray and hazy day, which made the power pole and line difficult to see, and he also stated that he was unfamiliar with the application site. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain visual separation from the power line due to a lack of identifiable and contrasting features, which led to an inflight collision with the line while maneuvering in gray, hazy conditions.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20160403X12259&key=1
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N4555E
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Mar-2016 15:12 | Geno | Added |
| 30-Mar-2016 20:47 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 19-Aug-2017 13:31 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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