Pilot Debrief

AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B near Clara City, MN — 2023-07-25

Final reportCEN23LA324
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Date
2023-07-25
Location
Clara City, MN, USA
Aircraft
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B
Registration
N291DL
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a transmission line during an aerial application flight.

NTSB narrative

Airplane position data revealed that the pilot was performing agricultural application passes to a corn field at the time of the accident. During an approach to the northwest, in a pattern consistent with a clean-up pass, the empennage impacted the lowest transmission line on a set of power lines along the perimeter of the field. The collision separated the rudder and upper portion of the vertical stabilizer from the empennage, and the airplane subsequently impacted the corn field about 350 ft from the power lines. Postrecovery airframe and engine examinations did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction, or of the engine to produce rated power. It is likely that the pilot was flying under the transmission lines at the end of the clean-up pass and did not maintain clearance which resulted in an impact between the empennage and the transmission line.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided power lines during the final turn back to the field.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents14

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