Douglas B-26C N4060A

Summary

On 5 March 1983 at about 22:58 local time, a Douglas B-26C registered N4060A was involved in an accident near Hubbards Fork, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

5 March 1983 at 22:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Hubbards Fork, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

37.1498, -83.7600

Aircraft

Douglas B-26C

Registration

N4060A

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ashville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL83FA127

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT & ACFT HAD BEEN FIGHTING FOREST FIRES EARLIER IN THE DAY. A LATE DEVELOPING FIRE NECESSITATED ANOTHER DISPATCH. THE ACFT ARRIVED ON SCENE & CHECKED IN WITH THE LEAD ACFT CIRCLING OVERHEAD COORDINATING THE FIRE FIGHTING EFFORTS. THE TANKER MADE 2 RUNS OVER THE FIRE AREA FOLLOWING THE LEAD ACFT. AFTER THE 2ND RUN, THE ACFT BANKED LEFT IN A LEVEL TURN TO MAKE ANOTHER RUN WITHOUT USING THE LEAD ACFT. DURING THE 3RD RUN THE TANKER STRUCK TREES NEAR THE TOP OF A 1800 FT RIDGELINE. WITNESSES ON THE GROUND REMARKED HOW LOW THE ACFT WAS. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S PEERS, HE TOOK PRIDE IN DOING HIS JOB WELL & ALWAYS STROVE TO PUT THE CHEMICAL RIGHT ON TARGET. THERE HAD BEEN OCCASIONS IN THE PAST WHERE THIS ZEAL TO SUCCEED HAD RESULTED IN HIS GOING LOWER THAN THE 150 FT AGL MINIMUM ALTITUDE MANDATED BY FORESTRY SERVICE REGS. HE HAD, ON OCCASIONS, RETURNED TO BASE WITH TREE FOLIAGE STUCK IN HIS AIRCRAFT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.