On July 31, 2000, an Air Tractor AT-301 (registration N4330S) operated by Harris Spray Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Brockway, MT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An agricultural aircraft struck a power pole guy wire during spraying, severing the right wing and aileron. The aircraft rolled right, collided with terrain, and came to rest inverted 1,100 feet away.
Accident Details
During a routine aerial application flight, the aircraft collided with a power pole guy wire. According to the pilot, the spray path was parallel to a series of power transmission lines. He reported not seeing the guy wire prior to the collision.
The guy wire severed the outboard section of the aircraft's right wing and aileron. Following the severing, the aircraft rolled to the right and subsequently collided with terrain. The wreckage came to rest inverted, approximately 1,100 feet from the point of initial impact.
The pilot stated that no mechanical malfunctions or failures contributed to the accident.