History of Flight
On June 21, 2011, at approximately 0515 mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-301 (registration N3661B) collided with terrain in a field near Hogeland, Montana. The airplane was being operated as an aerial application flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings. The flight departed from Harlem Airport, Harlem, Montana, about 0500. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Two witnesses, located in a house next to the accident site, heard the airplane approach at 0515. The noise became louder, followed by a sound consistent with an airplane turning. A few seconds later, they heard a "thud." One witness responded and found the airplane in an adjacent field.
Personnel Information
The 65-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and a private certificate with ratings for multiengine land. Because he did not hold an instrument rating, the certificate was issued with limitations: not valid for carriage of persons for hire on cross-country flights over 50 nautical miles or at night. Examination of FAA medical records revealed he applied for a second-class medical on May 25, 2011, but was inadvertently issued a third-class certificate. Limitations required corrective lenses. Flight records were not recovered; at the time of his medical application he reported 6,350 total pilot hours, with 40 in the preceding six months.
Family members reported the pilot was under financial, work, and personal stress. He was self-employed as an agricultural pilot, a mortician, local coroner, and funeral home owner. His son was to be married later that year, and he had been involved in wedding preparations. He had also changed his diet earlier in the year. During a phone call a week before the accident, a sibling reported he sounded tired and in a state of malaise, "dis-jointed and out of character," and stated he was "...getting tired of flying."
Aircraft Information
The low-wing, tailwheel-equipped, fixed-gear airplane was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by a Pratt and Whitney R1340-AN1 radial engine driving a Hamilton Standard two-blade constant-speed propeller. No maintenance records were recovered. An FAA Major Repair and Alterations form from April 2002 indicated a Horizon Instruments P-1000 tachometer was installed in 1997. After the accident, the tachometer indicated 5,617 hours.
The airplane was equipped with a SATLOC GPS-enabled agricultural guidance system. The unit sustained crush damage and was sent to the NTSB for data extraction. The memory card for positional data was not installed, so no flight data were recorded.
Meteorological Information
The nearest aviation weather observation station was at Havre City-County Airport, 57 statute miles southwest of the accident site. A METAR at 0453 reported: wind from 180 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 9°C, dew point 8°C, altimeter 29.92 inHg. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, civil twilight and sunrise in Havre occurred at 0434 and 0517, respectively.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest about 90 feet from a residence, at the border of the field to be sprayed. No ground scars or debris led up to the airplane; it was located entirely within the accident site. The ground was hard packed soil with rocks. The airplane came to rest nose-down, with diagonal crush damage on the left fuselage from the firewall through the aft cabin. The hopper was fragmented, and the fuselage had rolled about 45 degrees left over the left wing. The tail cone remained attached, canted 15 degrees left. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached; the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had separated and came to rest behind the right wing. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached with 90-degree upward bending mid-span. The left wing sustained accordion-like crush damage from leading edge through aft spar; the right wing had limited crush damage to the lower leading edge.
During recovery, the engine was found buried about 3 feet below the firewall. The propeller had leading edge nicks, gouges, and scratches with both tips twisted about 90 degrees.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination conducted by the State of Montana Forensic Science Division reported the cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicological tests by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) found no carbon monoxide, cyanide, or alcohol. Positive results: Desmethylsertraline (0.045 ug/mL in femoral blood, detected in urine), Ibuprofen in urine, Sertraline (0.014 ug/mL in femoral blood, detected in urine). According to CAMI, Sertraline (Zoloft) is used for depressive illness, with therapeutic range 0.0100-0.200 ug/mL. The pilot did not report this medication or history of depressive illness on medical applications. Review of personal medical records revealed no diagnosis or treatment for depressive illness. The pilot's daughter stated he had been taking the medication for about 6 months, prescribed by his sister-in-law, a Nurse Practitioner.
Tests and Research
The airframe was examined by an FAA inspector and representatives from Air Tractor. Flight and engine control continuity was confirmed. The flap actuator was extended 3 3/8 inches, corresponding to flaps full-down position. No anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation.