Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's diverted attention, which resulted in his failure to assure that clearance was maintained from the transmission line.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
As the pilot completed his second pass, he looked back 'to see where the spray was going,' and the airplane's right wing struck the top two static wires on an electrical transmission line. The airplane then entered a nose down attitude and impacted the ground.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 22, 1995, at 1830 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-401, N9190Q, collided with wires while maneuvering near Taft, Texas. The commercial pilot/operator was not injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane departed Portland, Texas, at 1820 for the aerial application flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, he was spraying an obstructed area and had completed one pass when he noticed the spray was not being deposited in the intended location. He decided "to make a second pass upwind from the previous one." As the pilot completed the second pass, he "momentarily" looked back "to see where the spray was going." The airplane's right wing struck the top two static wires on an electrical transmission line. The airplane entered a "60 to 70 degree nose down attitude" and impacted the ground "hard." A post-impact fire consumed the airplane. -