History of Flight
On June 19, 2018, about 0715 central daylight time, an Air Tractor 502B, registration N2063B, was destroyed when it struck a communications tower and crashed near Enid, Oklahoma. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight.
According to the operator, the airplane had been dispatched to apply fertilizer to a nearby field, where the pilot had also applied fertilizer the previous day. Preflight operations were normal, and company personnel stated that the pilot was in good spirits before the flight.
A witness observed the airplane make 8–10 passes over the field, then saw it fly low, pop up, and make a turn. The witness reported that the airplane ran into the guy wire of a tower and then "twisted violently… and dropped straight down."
Aircraft Information
Examination of the maintenance logbooks for the airplane did not reveal any anomalies or uncorrected defects.
Meteorological Information
One witness, who was driving in the vicinity, reported seeing the airplane flying in the area and that the weather conditions were clear.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The aircraft wreckage was found in an open flat wheat field north of Enid, Oklahoma, about 470 feet north of a 405-ft-tall transmission tower. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who initially responded to the accident scene, the tower company identified that the top 50 feet of the tower was missing. The tower remained standing but was later taken down by the tower company on the evening of June 19, 2018. About 50 feet of dark orange tower structure and two approximately 5/8-inch diameter guy wires were intertwined with the wreckage.
The wreckage and ground scars were consistent with a nose-down vertical impact. There was no horizontal ground scarring or significant debris trail leading to the wreckage. Most of the wreckage was found collocated with the fuselage. The engine was found about 325 feet northeast of the fuselage and had separated at the "C" flange. The propeller blades were found in many pieces located throughout the debris field. Some of the propeller blades exhibited evidence of a wire strike and orange paint transfer.
Examination of the airplane wreckage at the accident site did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical anomalies. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. Thermal marks, circular scoring, and fractured turbine blades suggested that the engine was operating under some degree of power at the time of impact.
Additional Information
The 405-ft-tall communications tower that the airplane collided with was constructed in 1989 and was supported by unmarked steel cables. The tower location was published on the Dallas-Fort Worth area visual flight rules sectional chart current at the time of the accident and was painted and lighted in accordance with FAA Circular 70/7460-1K, titled "Obstruction Marking and Lighting." The tower is lit 24 hours a day and painted with FAA specification paint in alternating bands.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Board of Medicolegal Investigations, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed an autopsy of the pilot. The pilot's cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected 0.149 µg/ml doxylamine in the pilot's blood specimens; it was also detected in the pilot's urine. Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine available over the counter in cold and allergy products and is also the active ingredient in some over-the-counter sleep aids. Citalopram, a prescription antidepressant, and its metabolite, desmethylcitalopram, were detected in the pilot's blood and urine.