Farwell, TX, USA
N61353
Air Tractor AT-502B
While maneuvering during an aerial application flight, the airplane pitched up into a nose high "almost vertical" attitude, stalled, and impacted the terrain. A witness stated, "the airplane was executing maneuvers like that of an air show, when the pilot pulls [the airplane] straight up and comes straight down." No anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation prior to impact.
On September 12, 2003, approximately 0900 mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B single-engine agricultural airplane, N61353, was destroyed when it impacted the terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near Farwell, Texas. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Tate Spraying Services, Inc., of Clovis, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight departed a private airstrip near Clovis, New Mexico, approximately 0745. The operator reported the airplane departed the private airstrip to apply the third load of chemical to a nearby field. The weather was clear with light winds from the west. A witness observed an aircraft flying low over a field, traveling in a northerly then southerly direction, and pulling up sharply close to power lines. During a low pass in a southerly direction, the airplane pulled up abruptly and went almost straight up. The right wing dropped, and the aircraft went straight nose down. The witness then observed a cloud of dust and called 911. A second witness observed the airplane flying northwest and then pull-up into a nose high "almost vertical" attitude. The airplane was executing maneuvers "like that of an air show, when the pilot pulls [the airplane] straight up and comes straight down." The witness reported he thought the airplane went down into a canyon because it never came back up. He then observed a brief "puff of smoke" and realized the airplane had crashed. The airplane came to rest upright in a field adjacent to a roadway. According the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, the debris field measured approximately 30-40 feet in diameter, and the right main landing gear wheel assembly was not located. Ground scars were consistent with the right wing, the engine and propeller assembly. The left and right wings displayed leading edge to trailing edge crush damage. The empennage remained intact, although it sustained structural damage. The cockpit was destroyed. Control continuity to the flight control surfaces was precluded due to impact damage. The propeller blades were separated from the propeller hub, and displayed "s" bending, twisted toward low pitch, and leading edge gouging. No mechanical deficiencies were noted with the airplane. The 26-year old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and with the limitation, "Carrying passengers in airplanes for hire is prohibited at night and on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles." The pilot obtained his commercial certificate on December 6, 1996. The pilot was issued a second class medical certificate on March 27, 2003, with no restrictions or limitations. The pilot's most recent biennial flight review was satisfactorily completed on February 2, 2002. The operator reported the pilot had accumulated approximately 4,591 total flight hours, and 854 hours in the accident airplane make and model. According to the FAA, the pilot had two previous accidents on his record. On November 29, 1996, the pilot ground looped a Luscombe 8F airplane, and on September 18, 1998, the pilot lost directional control of an Ayers S2C airplane during landing. At 0915, the Clovis Municipal Airport (CVN), Clovis, New Mexico, automated weather observing system (AWOS), located approximately 4 nautical miles north of the accident site, reported sky clear, visibility 10 statue miles, wind from 290 degrees at 6 knots, temperature 59 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 46 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of Mercury. The airplane was released to the owner's representative on September 12, 2003.
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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