Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot of an aerial application airplane attempted to fly under high tension wires perpendicular to his flight path. The left main landing gear impacted a levee and the airplane nosed over into a rice field coming to rest in the inverted position.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 20, 1995, at 0630 central daylight time, a Grumman G-164A was substantially damaged while maneuvering near Bigelow, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight. According to the operator, the airplane's left main landing gear impacted a levee while attempting to fly under high tension wires perpendicular to his flight path. The airplane came to rest inverted in a rice field, approximately a quarter of a mile from the initial point of ground impact. The left main landing gear, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were found separated from the airframe. -