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Atlas / NTSB / CEN21LA148

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN21LA148

2021-03-05 Moorhead, Mississippi, United States Airport · NA None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N41068

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B

TCDS

A17SW · AIR TRACTOR INC

Engine

P&W CANADA PT6A-15AG (680 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20060615

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A4D76B

Registrant of record

WOODLEY AERIAL LEASING LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot did not maintain clearance from a powerline during an aerial application flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, during an agricultural application flight, he started his spray pass from the north and traveled south and added that the sun was bright. During the pass, he avoided numerous obstacles, before he passed over a patch of woods. There was an east-west running powerline located about 100 yards out in the field that the pilot did not see until it was too late to avoid it. The airplane impacted the top of the wires and a pole and a part of a pole embedded itself into the left wing. The pilot was able to land the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Not specified
  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_CEN21LA148.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.