Pilot Debrief

AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502 near Washington, LA — 2022-08-01

Final reportCEN22LA352
Sign in to save
Date
2022-08-01
Location
Washington, LA, USA
Airport
17LS
Aircraft
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502
Registration
N407CT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a wire during an aerial application of a field.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that on the first aerial application flight of the day, he saw a wire on the edge of the field to be sprayed and decided that he could fly under the wire to perform the spray pass. During the pass, the airplane’s rudder struck the wire and tore the rudder off. The airplane returned to the departure airport and during landing, lost directional control due to missing rudder and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder from the wire strike and to the fuselage during the ground loop. The pilot reported that there was no preaccident failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

Related mishaps