On April 1, 2003, an Ayres S2R-T34 (registration N30913) operated by Pierce Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Avondale, AZ. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to fly a higher-than-normal flight path to avoid ground equipment, which resulted in the aircraft striking power lines. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Aircraft registered N30913. Photo: John Taggart from Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An agricultural airplane struck power lines while flying a higher-than-normal flight path to avoid a ground vehicle, then returned to the departure point without further incident.
What happened
The aircraft was engaged in agricultural spraying operations when it collided with power lines during the final application of the day. The specific pass required the pilot to fly beneath the overhead wires. A backhoe was parked near the intended flight path, prompting the pilot to adjust his altitude upward to maintain clearance from the ground equipment.
This deviation resulted in a higher-than-normal flight path for this particular segment of the mission. Consequently, the airplane impacted the lower set of power lines. Following the impact, the pilot maintained control and successfully flew the aircraft back to the original departure point.
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to fly a higher-than-normal flight path to avoid ground equipment, which resulted in the aircraft striking power lines.
