14 CFR Part 137: Agricultural
Accident occurred Friday, July 19, 2013 in Huntingburg, IN
Aircraft: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A, registration: N86BM
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 19, 2013, about 1030 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-802A airplane, N86BM, impacted terrain after striking a pair of suspended power lines during low altitude maneuvering near the Huntingburg Airport (KHNB), Huntingburg, Indiana. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Milhon Air, Inc under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from KHNB at an unknown time.
The pilot was on his final application run and was flying on an easterly heading. According to witnesses, the airplane struck two suspended power lines and subsequently impacted terrain about 1 ½ miles east of KHNB. After the airplane impacted terrain, it continued towards and came to rest in a group of trees located next to a lake.
Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the scene and retained the wreckage for further examination. The inspectors noted that the power lines ran north-south across the flight path on the east side of the field.
The automated weather reporting station located at KHNB reported at 1035: wind from 230 degrees at 11 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 72 degrees F, and a barometric pressure of 30.07 inches of mercury.
(DUBOIS CO.) - Officials say the pilot of the crop dusting plane that crashed Friday is in fair condition.
The bad news is there's now concern chemicals and fuel from that plane may have polluted the water in Conservation Lake.
The Huntingburg Conservation Club has a Facebook page, and on Sunday, they posted a message to all HCC members to stay off the grounds this week, while they test the water and soil.
It seems the plane spilled a decent amount of chemicals and jet fuel, that has the HCC concerned about health safety.
HCC President Tim Jerger says he's been speaking with investigators, to find out what chemicals the plane was carrying and how much.
"They did say that the most it could possibly have been on that plane was 100 gallons of chemicals. I know there was a fungicide for sure, and I think, herbicide," Jerger said.
The fear is that some of those chemicals and some of the jet fuel may have mixed with the lake immediately following the crash. In the rainy days that followed, that mixture may have soaked through the soil.
HCC Boardmember Leonard Gehlhausen says there are no signs of dead fish, but there is some contaminated soil.
Gehlhausen says they've sent water samples from the lake to a state lab and they expect results on Friday. In the meantime, the park is closed for safety reasons until further notice.
Neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor Milhorn Incorporated cared to comment on the crash investigation on Monday. But the Federal Aviation Administration says they will be able to make public comments in two to three weeks when the investigation concludes.
Story: http://www.wbiw.com
