THIBODAUX, LA, USA
N5028Q
Air Tractor AT-401B
The pilot flew the agricultural airplane around the target area (crawfish pond) to be sprayed, 'looking for obstacles and wind direction.' The pilot made the first spray run from the north to the south, and the second pass from the south to north. After completing the second run, the pilot passed over power lines and executed a turn to the right and into the direction of the sun. According to the pilot, the sunlight and glare on the windscreen 'blocked my vision' temporarily. While still in the turn, the pilot regained 'forward vision' and realized the airplane was flying 'into the power lines.' After striking the power lines, the airplane came to rest upright in the crawfish pond.
On June 1, 2000, at 0820 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401B agricultural airplane, N5028Q, struck a power line during an aerial application flight near Thibodaux, Louisiana. The airplane was owned and operated by Golden Ranch Aviation, Inc., of Schriever, Louisiana, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, received serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated approximately 0800 from the Golden Ranch Aviation, Inc., private airstrip. According to the pilot's statement, the pilot circled the target area (a crawfish pond, located approximately 10-12 miles northwest of the airstrip) to be sprayed, "looking for obstacles and wind direction." The pilot made the first spray run from the north to the south, and the second pass from the south to north. After completing the second run, the pilot passed over power lines and executed a turn to the right and into the direction of the sun. According to the pilot, the sunlight and glare on the windscreen "blocked [his] vision" temporarily. While still in the turn, the pilot regained "forward vision" and realized the airplane was flying "into the power lines." After striking the power lines, the airplane came to rest upright in the crawfish pond. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department, the official sunrise on June 1, 2000, occurred at 0603. According to the FAA inspector, who examined the wreckage, the wings sustained spar damage, and the propeller was damaged.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the sunglare on the windscreen.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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