What happened
On June 1, 2000, an agricultural aircraft was conducting a local aerial application flight. The aircraft departed with full fuel and 150 gallons of herbicide on board. The mission involved three north-south spray runs.
During the third turn, transitioning from a south to a north heading, the aircraft contacted trees. This impact caused the left wing to separate from the fuselage, after which the aircraft impacted the ground. A witness at the scene noted that while they could hear the aircraft during this third turn, the plane was barely visible over the treetops, unlike the previous two passes.
Information indicated that the pilot had recently completed a professional agricultural pilot training course on May 5, 2000, and this mission represented the pilot's second revenue spray flight. Additionally, reports surfaced that on May 31, 2000, the pilot had previously encountered difficulty clearing treetops during operations, even noting that leaves had been caught in the aircraft's boom after hitting trees.