Accident Overview
An airplane conducting an aerial application flight experienced a loss of control, resulting in contact with the ground and power lines. The aircraft subsequently slid across a ditch and a road before coming to rest in a grove of trees.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, before commencing the spraying operation, he circled the field four or five times to allow traffic on a nearby road to clear. He also deployed smoke to verify that the chemical would not drift toward the road.
Sequence of Events
During the final circle, the airplane began to settle toward the ground. The pilot reported that he did not jettison the chemical load when the descent started. The airplane first contacted the terrain, then bounced and struck power lines. It then settled back to the ground, slid across a ditch and the road, and finally stopped in a grove of trees.
Reported Cause
The pilot stated that the loss of control was most likely due to a vortex generated by the circles he had flown around the field.