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| Date: | Tuesday 10 August 2021 |
| Time: | 07:40 |
| Type: |  Ayres S-2R-T Turbo Thrush |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4956X |
| MSN: | 2164R |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Engine model: | Honeywell TPE331-6-252M |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Strasburg, ND -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Linton Municipal Airport, ND (7L2) |
| Linton Municipal Airport, ND (7L2) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On August 10, 2021, at 0740 central daylight time, a Rockwell International S2R agricultural airplane, N4956X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Strasburg, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.
The pilot had completed one aerial application flight and was in the process of spraying a sunflower field. The flight track indicated that the airplane entered the area from the north and made a left turn over the field. The recorded flight track ended before the airplane descended toward the target field. It is likely that the pilot started spraying the field beginning at the northeast corner and headed west. A witness driving eastbound observed the airplane flying west after it exited the sunflower field. As the airplane flew under three power lines, the top of the vertical stabilizer hit the second line. The airplane then collided with the third line, crashed onto a road, and slid into a field.
A colleague of the pilot, who was familiar with the operation, stated that he and the pilot had sprayed this field many times before and that they always used a north-south racetrack pattern. He had never seen the pilot spray this field in an east-west pattern before and added that it should not be done due to the large powerlines on the west side of the field.
A postaccident examination of the accident site and airplane revealed wire strike signatures on the airplane. Two areas on the airplane exhibited black sooting and burn marks, which were indicative of the airplane contacting two power lines simultaneously resulting in electrical arcing. The airplane examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional flight under power lines and his failure to maintain clearance from the lines during an aerial application flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN21FA368
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103667
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=4956x
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Aug-2021 16:36 | Geno | Added |
| 10-Aug-2021 18:06 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Source, Category, ] |
| 11-Aug-2021 14:02 | Captain Adam | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 11-Aug-2021 14:37 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 12-Oct-2021 21:19 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 16-Feb-2025 15:58 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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