Air Tractor AT-400 N3159B

Summary

On 5 August 2013 at about 15:15 local time, a Air Tractor AT-400 registered N3159B, operated by Terhune Flying Service, Inc, was involved in an accident near Balko, Oklahoma, 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

5 August 2013 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Balko, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

36.5222, -100.8769

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-400

Registration

N3159B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Terhune Flying Service, Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Perryton → Perryton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA465

1 person died.

The pilot's failure maintain clearance from a meteorological tower while en route at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the sun's glare.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was en route from a private airstrip to a nearby field to apply herbicide and flying about 150 feet agl, when the airplane struck a 197-foot meteorological tower (MET) about 35 feet from its top. A survey of the accident scene revealed that the sun was ahead of and to the right of the airplane's flight path and likely obstructed the pilot's ability to see the tower. An examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. The NTSB recently concluded that, due to their rapid construction and lack of conspicuity, METs pose a threat to pilots who conduct low-altitude operations and recommended required registration, marking, and—where feasible—lighting of these structures in order to aid pilots in avoiding them.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.