History of Flight
On August 1, 2015, about 0700 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602 airplane, registration N6007N, impacted terrain following a loss of control near Wilmot, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was operated by the Baylee Company under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 for an aerial application positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Lake Village Municipal Airport (M32), Lake Village, Arkansas, about 0646, en route to a grass airstrip 6 nautical miles east of Wilmot.
GPS data from an onboard Hemisphere Intellistar CPU system showed the airplane departed M32, climbed to 1,000 ft mean sea level, and proceeded south. About 4 minutes into the flight, it turned southwest and descended to 500 ft, where it leveled off. About 4 minutes later, the airplane began a rapid climb to 1,000 ft and entered a 270° left turn to the northwest. Altitude then decreased and increased again as the turn continued. The airplane entered a rapid descent, and the recording ended at 0654:24 with the airplane at 520 ft, descending and turning south at 150 knots groundspeed.
At 0938, a crewmember notified the county sheriff that the airplane had not arrived at the grass airstrip. A search began, and the wreckage was found about 1058 in a cornfield about 2 nm northeast of Wilmot, about 18 nm southwest of M32 and 2 nm west of a direct course from M32 to the airstrip. No witnesses were identified.
Personnel Information
The 38-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. On January 23, 2015, he received a second-class medical certificate with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. He did not report his current flight time on the application. No logbooks were made available. On a previous medical application (July 1, 2014), he reported 13,600 total hours and 300 hours in the prior 6 months. A paper indicated he completed a flight review on June 25, 2014.
Aircraft Information
The single-place, low-wing, turbine-engine-powered airplane (serial number 602-1192) was configured for aerial application. It had two 108-gallon fuel tanks, a 1,050-horsepower Pratt and Whitney PT6A-60AG engine (serial number RG0168), and a 5-bladed Hartzell HC-B5MP-3C propeller. A 630-gallon chemical tank was located forward of the cockpit. Maintenance records showed an annual inspection on December 12, 2014, at 2,195.6 hours total airframe time. The Hobbs meter read 2,669.9 hours at the accident site.
Meteorological Information
At 0653, an automated weather station at Mid-Delta Regional Airport, Greenville, Mississippi (34 nm northeast of the site), reported wind 360° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 70°F, dew point 66°F, and altimeter setting 30.02 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest nose-down, inverted on an impact heading of 060°, within a 35 ft by 60 ft area. The main wreckage included engine cowling, engine, propeller, chemical tank, landing gear, wings, fuselage, empennage, and tail wheel. Cornstalks 7-8 ft tall were crushed beneath; no broken stalks surrounded the area. An impact crater contained propeller blades and spinner, with a postimpact fire confined beneath the engine. The propeller fractured with mounting flange damage indicating engine torque. Spinner dome crushed aft. Two of five blades fractured; all blades had leading edge chordwise abrasion and forward bending in the fractured ones. Impact marks indicated propeller angle was in normal operating range.
The nose section forward of the firewall broke downward and separated. The chemical tank was empty. The front cockpit, instrument panel, and glareshield were broken forward and down. Both wings showed aft and downward leading-edge crushing. Fuel smell was prevalent. Flaps and ailerons remained attached; flap actuator extended to 3 7/8 inches (about 28° deflection, full flaps). Fuselage aft of cockpit intact. Left horizontal stabilizer and elevator bent forward; right bent aft. Vertical stabilizer and rudder bent right about 25° at mid-span. Tail wheel undamaged. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Engine examination revealed no preimpact anomalies.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Arkansas State Crime Lab listed cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries." Significant heart disease was found: all three main coronary arteries had atherosclerotic plaque, with luminal narrowing up to 60% in the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries, and 20% in the left circumflex. No thrombosis, scarring, or muscle injury was noted.
A clear plastic bag with a prescription label was found in the pilot's pocket, containing three opened Suboxone foils. FAA toxicology testing detected buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, ranitidine, and diphenhydramine in heart blood; urine also contained naproxen. Buprenorphine (a Schedule III opioid) is used for opioid addiction treatment and carries warnings about impairing hazardous tasks. Diphenhydramine (sedating antihistamine) was detected at 1.861 ug/ml in heart blood, above the usual therapeutic range and noted to cause marked sedation and impairment. Ranitidine and naproxen are not generally considered impairing.
The pilot was 69 inches tall, 195 pounds at his last medical exam. He reported previous eye problem, surgery, and hospitalization from a 2007 motor vehicle crash, including a broken neck with spinal cord involvement, from which he fully recovered. He reported chronic back pain and use of ibuprofen. His father died of a heart attack at age 39.