Air Tractor Inc AT-402B accident near Britt, IA
On July 17, 2012, an Air Tractor Inc AT-402B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Britt, IA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 17, 2012
- Place
- Britt, IA
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-402B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 43.121°N, 93.747°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120718X03620
Official records · CEN12LA453
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 17, 2012, about 1630 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-402B, N4843J, impacted terrain during an aerial application flight near Britt, Iowa. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and a postimpact fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by Friesenborg & Larson Custom Spraying under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operating on a flight plan. The flight departed the Forest City Municipal Airport (FXY) at an unconfirmed time. A witness reported observing the accident airplane spraying corn about 2 miles south of his farm yard. He noted that the airplane was turning within 1/2 mile of his position during the application runs. He heard the engine start to “sputter” and looked south to see if he could see the airplane. At that moment, he observed a “large ball of fire go up” and subsequently called 911 to report the accident. He added that there were two separate “large” explosions; the first was about 1 minute and the second was about 3 minutes after the accident. These were followed by 2 or 3 “small” explosions about 15 minutes later. The airplane came to rest inverted in a corn field located about 3 miles northeast of Britt, Iowa. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land airplane and instrument airplane ratings. He held a flight instructor certificate with a single-engine airplane rating, issued on March
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power transmission lines during an agricultural application operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distracted attention due to personal cell phone use during flight operations.
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Browse: Iowa · Air Tractor aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
