Air Tractor AT-301 N8719S

Summary

On 20 June 2002 at about 07:40 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N8719S was involved in an accident near Westmorland, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 June 2002 at 07:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Westmorland, California, United States

Coordinates

33.0383, -115.5644

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N8719S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brawley → Westmoreland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX02LA203

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. A factor was the dark night condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a night aerial application flight spraying a cotton field from east to west, starting on the north side of the field. Power lines, approximately 40 to 60 feet high, bordered the field on the south. On the pilot's next to the last pass, and after pulling up out of the field and maneuvering to reverse direction, the airplane impacted the power lines with its left wing, subsequently impacting a paved road in an inverted position where a post-crash fire ensued. No preimpact mechanical failures were found during an examination of the wreckage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.