Event GAA20CA033

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during an agricultural application flight, he made 6 passes underneath powerline wires to complete the applications. On the 7th pass underneath the powerline wires, the wire deflector cable and the vertical stabilizer struck the wires. The pilot asserted that the vertical stabilizer jammed the rudder to the left, and the airplane entered a skidding left turn. The airplane impacted the ground and the pilot exited the airplane. The airplane was consumed by fire. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that, during an agricultural application flight, he made six passes underneath power wires to complete the applications. On the seventh pass underneath the power wires, the wire deflector cable and the vertical stabilizer struck the wires. The pilot asserted that the vertical stabilizer jammed the rudder to the left, and the airplane entered a skidding left turn and then impacted terrain. The airplane was consumed by fire. 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).

• C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on operation - C