What happened
On the afternoon of 24 July 2002, an agricultural aircraft was performing spraying operations over farmland in the Orongo region, located approximately three kilometers southwest of Thames Aerodrome. The day's operations began around 0900 hours, with a break taken midday due to unfavorable wind conditions. After resuming work at 1350 hours, the pilot began treating a second property at 1420 hours. The flight patterns involved crossing paddocks at right angles to their natural alignment, which required the pilot to descend over a line of mature trees.
During the spraying process, the pilot executed a 180-degree turn to align with the boundary of a paddock near a barn and stockyards. While flying on a south-easterly heading toward the sun, the outer panel of the left wing made contact with a protruding tree branch, resulting in the loss of part of the aileron. As the aircraft continued along the tree line, additional collisions occurred. The aircraft subsequently rolled into an inverted position and struck the ground. The engine remained running as the wreckage came to a stop. There was one fatality involving the pilot.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in a low-altitude spraying pattern near a dense tree line.
- The pilot was flying directly into the sun, which may have impacted visibility.
- Contact with a tree branch caused structural damage to the wing and aileron, leading to the loss of control.