What happened
On September 2, 2011, an Air Tractor AT-802, registration EC-KSY, was engaged in aerial firefighting operations near the Bermejales reservoir in the municipality of Arenas del Rey, Granada. The aircraft, operated by Saeta, departed from the La Resinera base to combat a wildfire that had ignited approximately 8 km north of the airfield.
During the mission, the pilot performed a reconnaissance flight to survey the terrain and identify any potential hazards, such as electrical lines. Following this, the pilot executed a low-altitude pass over the fire at approximately 130 knots to discharge the water payload. During this maneuver, the aircraft struck high-voltage power lines belonging to the Bermejales - Cortijo Vaquería y Aguas Loma circuit. One of the three cables in the line had previously detached, an event that had actually triggered the initial wildfire.
Upon impact, the cables became entangled with the propeller and the right side of the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot attempted to maneuver the aircraft to avoid a nearby building, but the aircraft became unresponsive to elevator inputs. The aircraft subsequently lost control and impacted the ground, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and serious injuries to the pilot.