On August 19, 1999, an Air Tractor AT-802A (registration N9190G) operated by U.s. Dept OF Interior, Blm was involved in an aviation accident near Elko, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate terrain/obstacle clearance altitude margin while engaged in fire fighting operations. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a second pass on a fire retardant run, a pilot encountered a downdraft and the left outer wing struck a juniper tree. The pilot returned to base without further incident.
Incident Overview
A pilot conducting fire retardant application operations experienced an in-flight collision with a tree during a second pass over a wildfire. The pilot had successfully released half of the retardant load on the first run and maneuvered the aircraft for another approach.
Sequence of Events
On the second pass, as the aircraft neared the intended release point, it encountered a strong downdraft. The pilot executed a recovery at low altitude. During this maneuver, the left outer wing impacted the top of a juniper tree. Despite the collision, the pilot maintained control and returned to Elko, where a landing was completed without further incident.
Damage Assessment
Post-flight inspection revealed damage to the wing: the most outboard 4 feet of the leading edge was crushed aft, with associated rib damage. No other details about the aircraft or injuries are available from the source.