Pilot Debrief

Air Tractor Inc. AT-301 near Ambia, IN — 2008-07-26

Final reportCHI08CA223
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Date
2008-07-26
Location
Ambia, IN, USA
Aircraft
Air Tractor Inc. AT-301
Registration
N3169R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The altitude/clearance not obtained/maintained by the pilot while maneuvering over an agricultural field during an aerial application. Contributing factors were the sunglare in the direction of flight, the low altitude of the operation, and the upslope of the field.

NTSB narrative

The pilot approached and descended towards the west over power lines adjacent to the east/west corn field that he was going to spray. He noted that the sun was "kinda bright" and was a restriction to visibility. During the round out to level flight over the field, the pilot noticed that the airplane continued to sink and before he could release the spray handle and actuate the dump handle, the airplane impacted the field. The pilot "thinks" that his left hand went from the spray lever to the power lever to both hands on the control stick to try and keep the wings level to avoid the airplane from nosing over. The pilot stated that the field "appeared" to be flat but was later told that it had a "slight" rise.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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