On September 3, 1996, an Air Tractor AT-301 (registration N3166H) was involved in an aviation accident near Meadow, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the transmission wire. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot performing agricultural application swaths hit large power lines with the vertical stabilizer, destroying the fin and rudder. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a cotton field after the aircraft lost directional control.
Accident Details
According to the pilot's account, he arrived at the field and completed a full circuit to identify all wires. He noted large east-west power lines along the north edge of the field and smaller east-west wires along the south end. The pilot flew the first application swath southbound, passing under the large wires, crossing the field, and over the small wires at the south end. He then turned the aircraft for the second swath, reversing the application pattern.
On the north end of the field, the aircraft's vertical stabilizer struck the large power lines, destroying the fin and separating the rudder. The pilot reported that the airplane would only fly in a circle. He jettisoned the plane's load and performed a forced landing into a cotton field.