What happened
The airplane was conducting an agricultural operation, specifically en route to disperse chemicals on a farm field. During this phase of flight, the aircraft was observed to pitch up and execute a left turn before impacting the terrain. The collision occurred approximately 100 yards short of where a 50-foot transmission line crossed the aircraft's intended path.
The investigation
A review of the operational context revealed that the pilot did not have aeronautical charts available on board. Instead, the pilot was relying on plat maps to locate the specific farm property for the chemical dispersal task.
Findings
The accident sequence involved a loss of situational awareness regarding overhead obstacles. The use of plat maps instead of standard aeronautical charts likely contributed to the inability to identify the transmission line crossing in time to avoid it. The aircraft's maneuver, characterized by an unexpected pitch-up and left turn, led directly to the impact with the terrain near the power line infrastructure.
Safety message
Pilots conducting low-level agricultural operations must ensure they have appropriate aeronautical charts available to identify overhead hazards such as transmission lines. Relying on non-standard navigation aids like plat maps may not provide sufficient detail for safe obstacle avoidance during flight.