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CEN23LA311

2023-07-14 · Benson, Minnesota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KBBB

Current FAA registration · N22FK

Make / Model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802
Year of manufacture
2022 · 1 years old at event
Engine
P&W CANADA PT6A-67AG (1350 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20220617
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1DF2F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to adequately survey a field for obstructions prior to a low-level aerial application pass, which resulted in an impact with a powerline. Contributing to the accident was the degraded visibility due to the smoke in the area.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that on the afternoon of the aerial application flight, the visibility was degrading due to smoke from nearby wildfires. Upon arrival at the target field, he circled twice to study the powerlines and obstacles, where he observed two distantly spaced power poles, and mistakenly thought they were termination points of a powerline. During the low-level aerial application pass, the airplane subsequently impacted a powerline as he flew between the power poles. The pilot returned to the airport and landed without incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Haze/smoke-Effect on personnel
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA311.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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