Ralls, TX, USA
N9017Z
Air Tractor AT-602
The 21,000-hour pilot had completed his second aerial application on an area of trees, and was en route back to the airport. While maneuvering, the airplane struck a 197-foot high tower. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain, where a post impact fire ensued. There were no reported eyewitnesses to the collision with the tower. Examination of the airplane and accident site revealed that the outboard portion of the right wing was separated and found adjacent to the base of the tower. The top three feet of the tower was severed and had yellow paint transfer consistent with the color of the airplane. The tower was erected 15 days prior to the accident and was of an unpainted metal color. The tower was also not equipped with an obstruction light. A weather observation system approximately 29 miles northwest of the accident site reported an overcast cloud ceiling at 25,000 feet.
On May 19, 2005, approximately 0944 central daylight time, a turbine-powered Air Tractor AT-602 agricultural airplane, N9017Z, registered to and operated by Mcadoo Flying Service, Inc., of Crosbyton, Texas, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following an in-flight collision with an antenna tower while maneuvering near Ralls, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight originated from the Crosbyton Airport (8F3), near Crosbyton, Texas. According to information gathered by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector, who responded to the accident site, the 21,000-hour pilot had completed his second aerial application of herbicide on mesquite trees and was en route back to 8F3. While maneuvering, the airplane struck a 197-foot high tower being utilized to collect weather observations approximately 14 miles southwest of 8F3. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain where a post impact fire ensued. There were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. Examination of the airplane and wreckage site by the FAA inspector revealed evidence that the airplane impacted the ground approximately 831 feet from the tower on a heading of 038 degrees. The outboard three feet of the right wing was separated and found adjacent to the base of the tower. The fuselage was fragmented throughout its length, and all five propeller blades were separated from the propeller hub. Three of the five blades exhibited chordwise scratches along their respective spans. One blade was missing a 2-inch portion of the blade tip, which was found within the main wreckage. Three blades displayed "S" bends approximately mid-span. Examination of the tower revealed that the top three feet was severed and had yellow paint transfer consistent with the color of the airplane. The tower was erected on May 4, 2005, and was of an unpainted metal color. The tower was not equipped with an obstruction light. At 0953, the automated surface observation station at the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, near Lubbock, Texas, located approximately 29 miles northwest of the accident site reported wind from 250 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statue miles, overcast cloud ceiling at 25,000 feet, temperature 73 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches of Mercury.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the antenna tower. Contributing factors were the recency of the tower's construction and the lack of obstruction lights on the tower.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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