Air Tractor Inc AT 502 accident near West, TX
On May 14, 2016, an Air Tractor Inc AT 502 (airplane) was involved in an accident near West, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 14, 2016
- Place
- West, TX
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT 502 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.841°N, 97.074°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160516X95548
Official records · CEN16LA181
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 14, 2016, at 1345 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502 single-engine agricultural airplane, N1546Z, impacted terrain after striking cellular tower guy-wires near West, Texas. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by Gerik Ag LLC, Aquilla, Texas, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed the Hillsboro Municipal Airport (INJ), Hillsboro, Texas, at 1205. According to local authorities, the operator, and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, while traveling north towards INJ after completing an aerial application operation, the airplane's right wing collided with two cellular tower guy-wires. The airplane impacted terrain and a post-impact fire consumed the airplane. Several witnesses reported they observed the airplane flying at a low altitude. Two witness reported seeing "something fall from the airplane" and "the plane looked like it dropped something." PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 75, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot's most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on April 27, 2016, with the following limitations: Must wear corrective lenses and possess glasses for near and intermediate vision. According to the operator, the pilot had accumulat
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to see and avoid cellular tower guy wires. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate at low altitude.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
