Agricultural Aviation

[RightPedal]

I Lost my best friend on Friday, September 12th. He was spraying in an Air Tractor 502, first load , first pass of the day.

He told me the night before that this job may be his last for this season. I feel like I lost one of my own children. I've never been so sick in my life.

The accedent report, and an eye witness stated that he pulled up nearly virtical out of the field, rolled right and dove straight into the ground. I'm told he went in so hard that they may never know just what actually happened.

Knowing this man as I did, I can't help but think something went terribly wrong. He was just to safety oriented, and I never knew him to be a showoff.

There's not much doubt that the airplane stalled, but I just can't figure why such an agressive pull up on the first pass being so heavy.

I've thought a hundred times this week, how a loving GOD could allow such a tragic thing to happen to such a special person. This Kid was a true Light to everyone he came in contact with. Not one of the hell fire and brimstone, Bible thumping, beat you over the head kind, but a true Light. Then it came to me, and this has become my comfort during this, The Word says; GOD Himself rejoices when one of His Saints come Home.

I'm not any kind of writer or anything like that. I'm just trying cope with the loss of a good friend that was taken from this life doing what we both love so much.

So please say a prayer and ask for comfort for his young wife, family and friends that grieve.

 

[Citationkid]

I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe there was somthing infornt of him like birds. I can also never understand why such great pilots with such great records end up crashing.

 

[avbug]

Sounds like a high speed emergency dump. Sorry to hear about it. Certainly not the first, definitely not the last, and we all know the risks. But it's never an easy thing, no matter how many times it occurs. There's not much to say about your friend, as I didn't know him, not much in the way of words of comfort; you know the score as well as any.

Sometimes rememberence in prayers for those who are left behind is the best there is; it's free, but too often not given.

My condolences to you, and to the family he left behind.

 

[BlueBusDriver]

RightPedal,

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend. I grew up on a farm in the south watching crop dusters every year as they sprayed our soybeans and also planted our rice.
I always wanted to fly as an ag-pilot. I still get excited watching one work a field.
I hope that you will eventually learn what caused your friends crash on September 12th. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your friends family for such a tragic loss.
Blue, safe skies............

BlueBusDriver

 

[T/SF34/A]

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It's unfortunate that accidents like this happen. I can recall times when someone would call the airport that I was working at to report a "downed yellow airplane"...It put one hell of a pit in my stomach while I stood out by the runway waiting to hear the sound of that R-1340 off in the distance with my best friend at the controlls.

There is no doubt in my mind that aerial application is a dangerous choice of work. It takes a special kind of pilot to stand up to the challenge. It's one thing to face an emergency situation at FL250...it's another thing to face it 5 feet off the deck.

 

[RightPedal]

Avbug, Please explain the high speed emergency dump. I think I know, but you do it so well.

Or were you being fecetious? Or were you trying to be little more elegant in saying he simply stalled?

And, I'm not implying that you were being a smart a$$ either. I need, and respect your imput.

 

[bugchaser]

Hey RP, I too knew him well. I agree that he was a great guy and it really hit me hard when I heard what happened. I was working that day and had to climb back in after I found out. When you have something like this happen it makes you really examine your own flying and your priorities. Just know that he had his bags packed and is where he needs to be. Keep Molly and the family in your prayers.

Tailwinds

 

[bigbird]

I think avbug is a total smart ass....The guy lost a friend, just shut the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** up..

 

[avbug]

If he stalled out of the top of a turn...well, that happens. I gathered from your post previously that this was a rapid, unexplained pitch-up to a stall. If that's the case, then the most obvious cause to me is either a control malfunction (unlikely) or a pitch resulting from an emergency dump.

We've all known folks that spun out of an ag turn at the end of the field; it happens. We also know that eyewitness reports are questionable. It's hard to imagine sometimes that a competent, professional would do it, but every one of us that's had to zoom a pecan grove or a tall stand of trees or high powerlines can appreciate the potential. It does happen.

If he dumped at high speed, especially if not ready on the trim, the consequences could potentially have become unmanagable (saying this without knowing the aircraft type, too, or his loading). I just spent the last two summers doing regular full load dumps in a Drom loaded to the gills, and on the downhill runs, even with the trim run forward, it was sometimes tough to hold. Couple that with a distraction from something else, and it's not hard to imagine things going south, fast.

In any case, it's very unfortunate. We have all seen it; who flies ag that doesn't know a fist full of dead associates? At the same time, who doesn't feel the pain every time it happens? Not a soul. We all do.

As for bigbird, you obviously don't do this work, and never have. You have no comprehension of the subject, and your input is not needed nor welcome. When you've lost more friends and associates to the business than you have fingers and toes to count them, dial us back and regail us with your self-righteous diatribe. Until then, right back at ya.

 

[RightPedal]

Thanks for the reply avbug.
He was working a 502 air tractor. The first thing that came to my mind was an unexpected dump, at the worst possible time, but I guess we'll never know for sure.
And you're also right about this trade taking friends. I'm running out of fingers and toes. We don't quit though. We learn from what they teach us and go on.

bugchaser, I had a feeling that you had to have known Bman, being in that area. It was a tragic loss for sure. He was a special person to all who knew him.

 

[bugchaser]

Your right RP, this one just does not make any sense right now. B was not the kind of guy you would think might make a mistake like that unless there was something else going on. We may never really know exactly what happened. It just goes to show you that things can and do happen, even to the good guys.

Avbug, you are right on. I understand what you where saying. Sometimes outsiders don't understand. When you have been around this business for any amount of time these things don't suprise you nearly as much. Doesn't make it hurt any less though.

Be careful guys.