AIR TRACTOR INC AT-602

Full Narrative

On May 5, 2013, at 1745 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, N628JP, hit a wire during an aerial application flight near Udall, Kansas, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing during a forced landing to a field. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Andy Deterding Ag Aviation under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an agricultural application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight departed from the Wellington Municipal Airport (EGT), Wellington, Kansas, at 1700.

The pilot reported that he arrived at the field and conducted three surveillance orbits to check for obstacles and wires. He saw the powerlines that ran parallel to the roads located north and east of the field, but he did not see the low hanging powerline that ran at an angle across the field. The pilot flew five spraying passes over the field, but on the sixth pass, the airplane’s propeller and landing gear struck the powerline. The airplane started vibrating severely and the pilot executed a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a large bush which turned the airplane sideways as it skidded to a stop, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. The pole associated with the powerline that was struck was located in the tree line. The pilot reported that he did not have a map of the field, and that he was not informed about the low hanging powerline.