Spraying (Agricultural)

The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in a crop spraying mission over plantation located near Aksarino, Republic of Tatarstan, and the aircraft was carrying a load of 1,200 kilos of fertilizers. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the engine encountered technical problems. The pilot elected to make an emergency landing when the aircraft crash landed in a field and came to rest. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was uninjured.

The history of occurrence was established based on the witnesses’ statements. On 31.07.2015, the aircraft AN-2 registered YR-PEG was positioned on a flight field in the vicinity of the farm in Stӑncuţa commune, Brăila County, being prepared in order to perform several aviochemical flights in Giurgeni area on the following day. In the morning of 01.08.2015, the pilot and the aeronautical technical staff from his team were informed by the beneficiary of aviochemical works that, because it was raining in Giurgeni area, they will perform some aviochemical flights in Stӑncuţa area, in the vicinity of the flight field. Consequently, the aircraft was prepared for the flight in the area as follows: 200 l of gasoline were defueled from the aircraft tanks, the engine was started and the operating parameters were checked according to the specific diagram. The aircraft was supplied with chemical substances for the aerial work and after only a few minutes, the engine was started again, in order to take-off. Onboard there were the pilot and an aeronautical technician (hereinafter referred to as passenger) who occupied the pilot's seat on the right. The take-off on the S-N direction was normal in the first part. The take-off run was short – approximately 100 m, in the witnesses’ opinion – under the conditions of a gusty wind from the E direction, whose speed was gradually increasing. During the initial climb, at a height of about 15-20 m, the aircraft began to lean to the left and descend slightly. During this turn in descent, bank angle continued to increase, the aircraft flying with the left wing at very low height above the aircrafts parked towards the northern end of the flight field. Considering the aircraft evolution and observing that the pilot was not acting for correction, the passenger onboard on the right-hand pilot seat, tried instinctively to turn the aircraft control yoke to the right. According to his statement, he failed to operate the control yoke, considering that this was in a blocking state of which nature he could not specify. With the engine still running in take-off mode, the aircraft continued to descend, and after passing the parked aircrafts, it hit the ground with the propeller and the left wing tip. The impact of the wing tip determined the aircraft to pivot to the left and make a hard contact with the ground. The engine stopped because of the shock. An early fire was extinguished by witnesses arrived at the accident site. Amid the destruction of the cockpit and fuselage, the pilot was thrown out of the aircraft suffering serious injuries. The passenger, who occupied the right-hand seat, managed (after recovering from the shock) to exit the aircraft wreckage. The pilot and passenger were transported to the hospital. Later on, the pilot died due to multiple traumatic injuries, and the passenger required a long hospitalization period due to the injuries suffered. The aircraft was totally destroyed. There was no other damage in the area.

The single engine aircraft was engaged in a crop spraying mission on behalf of the Mikhail Farm located in the Tatsinsky District of the Rostov Region. The aircraft was carrying 400 kilos of fuel, 1,200 liters of pesticides, one pilot and one boy aged 13, the son of the farmer. Few minutes after takeoff, while approaching the area to be treated at a height of about 20-25 metres and at a speed of 130 km/h, the engine failed. The aircraft lost height, collided with power cables and crashed in a field, bursting into flames. The wreckage was found 2 km from the Mikhail farmhouse. The pilot escaped unhurt while the boy was injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire.

The pilot was engaged in an agricultural spraying mission. In unknown circumstances, the single engine aircraft impacted terrain and came to rest against a small hill in Mount Linton. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot, sole aboard, was seriously injured.

The crew was engaged in a crop spraying mission on rice paddy field located in Prototskiye (Krasnoarmeisk district of the Krasnodar region). Two minutes after takeoff, while flying at a height of about 50 metres, the engine lost power. The captain attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft nosed over and came to rest upside down, some 2 km east of Prototskiye. Those parts of the fuselage which were above the water were consumed by the erupting fire and both pilots escaped uninjured.

The pilot and the passenger were completing a top dressing mission in the region of Otane, south of Hastings, New Zealand. On final approach, the single engine aircraft seemed to be too low and hit tree tops before crashing nose down in a prairie. Both occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed. It was dark at the time of the accident as the sunrise was computed at 0639LT.

The crew was completing a crop spraying mission in the region of Danfeng. While cruising at low altitude, the aircraft impacted tree tops, stalled and crashed in a wooded area. While the captain was seriously injured, the copilot was killed.

The crew was completing a crop spraying flight in the Krasnoperekopsk District of the autonomous Republic of Crimea. While flying at a height of about 35-40 metres, the engine failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing in a rice paddy field near Pyatykhatki but the wheels got stuck in the soft ground and the aircraft nosed over, coming to rest upside down. While both occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The crew was engaged in a crop spraying flight in Terenozek. While flying at low height, the pilot-in-command initiated a left turn when the aircraft crashed in a field, bursting into flames. The copilot was seriously injured and the captain was killed.

The single engine aircraft departed Fertöszentmiklós Airport on a local spraying mission against mosquitos, carrying two pilots. Shortly after takeoff from runway 16, while in initial climb in a 15° flaps down configuration, the crew encountered problems with the engine that lost power and started to vibrate. While completing a left turn, the aircraft lost height, impacted ground and crashed in a cornfield. Both pilots escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.