Air Tractor Inc AT 402 accident near Sac City, IA
On July 29, 2016, an Air Tractor Inc AT 402 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sac City, IA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 29, 2016
- Place
- Sac City, IA
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT 402 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.360°N, 94.985°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160729X45721
Official records · CEN16LA292
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 29, 2016, at 0914 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-402 airplane, N1016G, collided with power lines and impacted terrain near Sac City, Iowa. The commercial rated pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed Arthur N Neu Airport (CIN), Carroll, Iowa, at 0902 and was spraying in the area of Sac City Municipal Airport, (SKI), Sac City, Iowa. The pilot's ground crewman stated that he met the pilot at CIN about 0830 and loaded the airplane with 375 gallons of liquid applicant and 130 gallons of fuel and noted that the airplane was almost fully loaded and was within the specified limitations. He added that the pilot did not seem concerned about him running late that morning. The pilot did not seem rushed or nervous, which was unusual for him, and he also seemed complacent about the flight. He has always known the pilot to circle above a field and scan for hazards before starting an aerial application flight. He described the area near the accident site as a "wire farm" because of the amount of power lines present. The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplane impacted a corn field one-mile south of SKI. Power lines were found downed near the accident site. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONA review of the pilot's log
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to circle over the field to identify hazards before beginning the aerial application.
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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.
