Low altitude operation/event: Thrush S-2R-T660 Thrush 710P, N710TY, fatal accident occurred on September 12, 2023, near Ardoch, North Dakota

• Location: Ardoch, North Dakota
• Accident Number: CEN23FA409
• Date & Time: September 12, 2023, 12:00 Local
• Registration: N710TY
• Aircraft: Thrush Aircraft LLC S2R-T660
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial
• Defining Event: Low altitude operation/event
• Injuries: 1 Fatal Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193049/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193049

On September 12, 2023, about 1200 central daylight time, a Thrush Aircraft LLC S2R-T660 airplane, N710TY, was substantially damaged during an accident near Ardoch, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial-application flight.

The pilot was conducting an aerial application flight when the airplane’s left wing impacted a guy wire attached to a power line structure. The impact with the guy wire occurred while the airplane was flying along the edge of the field being sprayed. The outboard 7 ft of the left wing and the left aileron separated during the impact with the guy wire. The airplane subsequently crashed in a cornfield about 0.3 mile from the guy wire impact.

Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact malfunction that would have prevented its normal operation. A review of recorded engine monitor data revealed no evidence of an engine malfunction or failure during the flight. Day visual meteorological conditions existed, and the position of the sun at high noon would not have negatively affected the pilot’s view ahead of the airplane. The pilot’s autopsy and postmortem toxicology tests did not reveal any evidence of medical incapacitation or impairment.

- Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a guy wire during an aerial application flight.