Air Tractor AT-502 N4549Z

Summary

On 18 October 1996 at about 23:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N4549Z was involved in an accident near Throckmorton, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 1996 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Throckmorton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.1797, -99.1707

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502

Registration

N4549Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olney → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA019

1 person was seriously injured.

failure of the pilot to maintain clearance of a transmission wire during pullup from a swath run. The proximity of the transmission wire was a related factor. The installation of wire cutter equipment on the landing gear might have prevented or reduced the level of damage or injury.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he made an aerial application swath run in a north to south direction. During pull-up from the swath run, the airplane's main landing gear (which were not equipped with wire cutters) caught on an east to west oriented unmarked electrical transmission wire. The pilot further stated that 'the east end of the wire became entangled in the airplane's rudder horn, forcing the airplane into an uncontrolled left turn.' The engine power and the momentum of the airplane were sufficient to 'snap three telephone poles.' Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. A postimpact fire destroyed the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.