On October 14, 1999, an Air Tractor AT-301 (registration N23930) was involved in an aviation accident near Olton, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The inflight separation of the propeller blade due to damage from a wire strike. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An agricultural airplane experienced a propeller blade separation midspan during an aerial application flight. The pilot executed a forced landing, but during rollout, the airplane nosed over after braking to avoid an irrigation pipe. Investigation could not determine if the blade damage occurred pre-flight or at the time of failure.
Incident Overview
An agricultural airplane was conducting an aerial application flight when one of its propeller blades separated approximately at the midpoint of the blade. Following the separation, the aircraft experienced severe vibration. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll, the pilot applied the brakes to avoid colliding with an irrigation pipe. This action caused the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted.
Investigation Findings
An FAA inspector examined the propeller after the accident. The inspection revealed damage to the propeller that appeared consistent with a wire strike. However, no broken high-voltage wires were found in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. Additionally, the pilot did not recall striking any wires during the flight.
Determination
Investigators could not conclusively determine the sequence of events leading to the blade failure. It remains unclear whether the damage occurred just before the blade separated or whether the blade had been damaged earlier and not properly repaired prior to the flight.