ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 216329
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| Date: | Friday 12 October 2018 |
| Time: | 18:31 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-502B |
| Owner/operator: | Coastal Flying Service Inc. |
| Registration: | N6135P |
| MSN: | 502B-0286 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1995 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9428 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Placedo, Victoria County, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Ganado Airstrip, TX |
| Ganado Airstrip, TX | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was flying at a low altitude during an agricultural application flight when the airplane impacted a radio antenna tower. The airplane struck the main antenna near the top of the structure, separating the upper section of the tower. A representative of the operator reported that the accident flight was the first time the pilot had sprayed that particular field, which was located about 1/2-mile from the antenna. The pilot had reviewed satellite imagery before the flight in order to identify potential hazards and was aware of power lines running along the south edge of the field and the proximity of the antenna.
A witness reported that the airplane appeared to be level and flying along a road in the direction of the antenna. A second witness reported hearing the airplane fly over followed by the sound of the impact with the antenna tower. He subsequently observed the airplane descending toward the ground.
The airplane came to rest near the antenna tower along the two-lane road. The road was oriented toward the west-southwest which was nearly in line with the setting sun. The upper section of the antenna tower was intertwined with the right wing of the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. The antenna tower was marked in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration recommendations.
Weather conditions were good at the time of the accident with 10 miles visibility and no obscuration or precipitation. The sun was positioned about 6°above the horizon to the west-southwest. The accident occurred about 30 minutes before sunset.
It is likely that the pilot lost situational awareness relative to the antenna tower due to the close proximity of the application field, the power lines, and the antenna tower. In addition, the position of the sun at the time of the accident likely hindered the pilot's ability to see and avoid the antenna tower.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the antenna tower, a known obstruction, during the agricultural application flight. Contributing to the accident was glare from the sun which hindered the pilot's ability to see and avoid the antenna tower.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N6135P
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 2 July 2017 | N6135P | Coastal Flying Service Inc | 0 | Edna, TX | |
sub |
| CFIT | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Oct-2018 18:36 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 16-Oct-2018 21:00 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 12-Nov-2019 17:50 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 12-Nov-2019 20:08 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo] |
| 12-Nov-2019 20:09 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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