Accident Overview
An agricultural pilot operating a spraying mission struck an unmarked cable while treating a dry pond, resulting in damage to the tail section and a subsequent crash in a cornfield. The pilot reported no mechanical issues before the cable strike.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had been contracted to spray the Wayne Company Wildlife Club Pond, which was dry at the time. He surveyed the area on the day of the accident, noting obstacles around the lake. After the survey, he returned to the airplane's base, loaded chemicals into the hopper tank, and departed. During the spraying flight, he first treated all the large sections of the lake, then proceeded to spray smaller areas such as bends and coves. While spraying one of the coves, he observed, just before impact, a cable approximately 1/4 inch in diameter stretched across the cove at an estimated height of 15-20 feet above ground level. The tail wheel of the airplane collided with the cable, causing it to separate from one of its anchored ends where it was attached to a tree. The cable then wrapped around the tail, damaging the elevator flight controls, vertical stabilizer, and right elevator. The flight continued but eventually the airplane crashed in a corn field. The pilot later advised an FAA inspector that no airframe or engine malfunction had occurred prior to the cable strike.
Examination Findings
Following the accident, an FAA inspector examined the crash site and the airplane. The inspection confirmed that the airplane had collided with a .250 inch diameter unmarked cable strung between two trees in the southeast cove. One end of the cable remained secured to a tree. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had separated, and the forward spar of the vertical stabilizer was fractured. The rear spar of the vertical stabilizer was not fractured.