On 26 Jul 2008, an Air Tractor AT-401 operated by Michael J. Bartholomew was involved in an aviation accident near Lake View, IA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain sufficient altitude and clearance from the power lines while performing an aerial application maneuver. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aerial application maneuver resulted in an Air Tractor AT-401 striking power lines and coming to rest upside down.
What happened
On July 26, 2008, an Air Tractor AT-401, registration N9193F, was performing aerial application maneuvers in Lake View, Iowa. During the maneuver, the pilot struck the top wire of a set of power lines. The impact caused the aircraft to come to rest in an inverted position within the field being sprayed.
The weather conditions at the time were Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and calm winds. There was one minor injury reported, and there were no fatalities.
Probable cause
The pilot failed to maintain sufficient altitude and clearance from the power lines while performing an aerial application maneuver.