Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010*

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Page 1 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Helicopter started to take-off, felt the resistance and cut power. Meanwhile the load crew was in a wrestling match (with) the helicopter ... Trying to get the hose detached.

He lost. We shut-down for 15 minutes. The company ops leader, both pilots, ground crew, and I took a break and met.

We decided that di spite any protests from the ground crew that "This was his job" a second person was needed to confirm "A Go" status for the pilots. Less trips back and forth to the helicopter would reduce confusion. STATE: IL SPRAY DATE: 5/20/2010 OWNER: Hendrickson Flying Srvice TAILNO: AIRCRAFT: Bell 47 - WASP Helicopter FORMULATION: Foray 76 B PILOT_INFO: INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Clear; Calm; Cool BASIC INFO: Helicopter tried to take-off with load hose still attached.

NARRATIVE: 2010 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 2 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* The logging switch is activated by the spray valve handle. Logging activation switch was calibrated using water and it worked fine.

Viscosity of Bt is different than water requiring the reduction of the spray valve opening 3 as such the opening was not wide enough to ... more. less.

activat e the logging switch. The solution was to rotate the logging switch so it would be activated at the appropriate handle position. A screwdri ver was needed. Diversion of flight path to land at Smith Field was necessary to adjust the logging switch to activate GPS logging. STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/11/2009 OWNER: Dave Eby TAILNO: N602GE AIRCRAFT: AT-602 FORMULATION: Btk PILOT_INFO: Garrett Eby INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Clear BASIC INFO: GPS logging not operating on initial pass NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 3 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Landing light of observation plane was left on while flying as observation plane. The breaker popped and the alternator was no t charging the battery. Dennis Thornton radioed Garrett Eby to inform him that the aircraft radios would not be usable. Dennis Thornton was at all time in radio contact with pilots Garrett Eby, Ryan Eby, and ground observers via AgriFlite FM Radios on scan/direct channel. The occurrence happened at the end of the Arlington Treatment block. That airspace does not require aircraft radio contact. STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/19/2009 OWNER: Dave Eby TAILNO: N1148E AIRCRAFT: Champ FORMULATION: Btk PILOT_INFO: Dennis Thornton (observation Pilot) INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Clear BASIC INFO: Aircraft radios unusable NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 4 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Spray pump working intermittently. While working on the pump, the dump valve was accidentally opened, lost about 10 gallons on bare ground and contained with wood chips. STATE: MD SPRAY DATE: 5/8/2009 OWNER: Coastal Air Services, Inc. TAILNO: N53AG AIRCRAFT: UH-1H FORMULATION: Foray 48B PILOT_INFO: Dan Riley INCIDENT_TYPE: Ground Spill WEATHER: Clear, Calm, High Clouds BASIC INFO: Pump not working, dump valve accidentally opened. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 5 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Left spray boom came loose from one attachment point, hanging down. Pilot shut off pump, very little leakage. Pilots safely la nded with assistance from ground crew. STATE: MD SPRAY DATE: 5/13/2009 OWNER: Coastal Air Services, Inc. TAILNO: N9111CE AIRCRAFT: UH-1H FORMULATION: Foray 48B PILOT_INFO: Lon Johnson INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Sunny BASIC INFO: Left spray boom came loose NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 6 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Pilot unable to start helicopter. After reviewing checklists, pilot contacted Helicopter Applicators in order to diagnose poss ible cause(s) of the problem. After consultation, pilot discovered a guarded switch was tampered with on the helicopter and had been switched to an emergency position rather than the normal auto position. Pilot also discovered a few of the Micronair blades had also been tampered. Pi lot reset to calibration specifications. Pilot and Bureau of Forestry staff learned of a model airplane event had occurred the evening be fore inside Mt. Pocono airport grounds in close proximity to contractor equipment, thus raising suspicion of the possible source of the tamperi ng given that airport grounds are closed to unauthorized personnel behind a locked gate and fence. No witnesses were identified. STATE: PA SPRAY DATE: 5/18/2009 OWNER: Helicopter Applicators, Inc. TAILNO: N4692Z AIRCRAFT: Bell 204UH1E FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: INCIDENT_TYPE: Criminal Action WEATHER: Clear BASIC INFO: Pilot returned guarded switch to the correct position and ran through all preflight checklists. After ground- running the heli copter for 15 minutes and running through all preflight checklists again, pilot left airport LZ to begin treatment operations for the 5/18/09 AM session at 08:36. No further problems reported. Pilot contacted Mt. Pocono airport personnel on 5/19/09 to report the tampering incident. Pilot checked in with contractor and indicated no desire to take any further action. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 7 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* N6344D was lifting off the mix truck when a spray boom clipped the exhaust stack on the truck causing a slight pitch of the hel icopter to the North side. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/9/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopters TAILNO: N6344D AIRCRAFT: Bell 206 L4 with spray booms attac FORMULATION: PILOT_INFO: Dextor Williams INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Cloudy with light winds BASIC INFO: Spray Boom clipped the truck exhaust stack as helicopter was lifting off. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 8 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Paul Lirrette of Summit Helicopters Inc. was traveling west bound on Route 50 and missed the north entrance to the LZ due to hi gh grass around the entrance. He then backed up to enter the driveway and backed into a small car. The car was too close for him to see it in t he rearview/side mirrors because of the dually rear tires and fenders. Insurance information was exchanged by parties involved. FACTOR (S) REL ATING TO THIS INCIDENT One factor was tall grass at LZ entrance. The vehicle was following too close making it in the truck 9s blind spot. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/11/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopters Inc. TAILNO: N/A AIRCRAFT: N/A FORMULATION: N/A PILOT_INFO: N/A INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Cloudy, dark morning BASIC INFO: Summit Helicopters Inc. Fuel Truck backed into a vehicle. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 9 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* The loading truck was parked beside a fence that ran along the driveway of the property we were using as an LZ. This was the on ly level spot at the LZ. When aircraft # N57447 landed, the aircraft 9s tail rotor was directly above the driveway. At approximately 8:05 am, air craft # N57447 was re- fueling when a 2,500 gallon AmeriGas propane truck came up the driveway and stopped under the tail rotor. I exited my vehicle a nd motioned for the driver to pull up out of the way. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/11/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopter TAILNO: N5744Y AIRCRAFT: Helicopter FORMULATION: Dimilin 4L PILOT_INFO: Tom Hanks INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: partly cloudy, 50 degrees with winds at 2 miles per hour BASIC INFO: Summit Helicopter wing number N5744Y was in close proximity to an AmeriGas propane truck. Two WVDA personnel at LZ#1 witnessed the incident. They were Tom Pownall (site supervisor) and Tyler Hern (mixing and loading officer). NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 10 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* I was the observer for the WVDA on the morning of May 18, 2009 around 7:51am. The WV Spray aircraft, wing number 773H was heade d to WV block, FS_01 9s south end when we discovered the Virginia aircraft was already spraying VA block 355. At one point the Virginia aircraft was within a 100 yards. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/18/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopters. Inc TAILNO: 773H AIRCRAFT: Helicopter FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: Ron Jackson INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Sunny and clear with light winds BASIC INFO: West Virginia and Virginia spray contractors 9 treatment (gypsy moth) helicopters were spraying adjacent spray blocks on the West Virginia, Virginia border without prior communication. Aircraft came in close proximity, dangerously sharing airspace. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 11 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* At approximately 8:45am aircraft #N5744Y was taking on fuel at LZ#24, when the re-fueling was finished the aircraft proceeded t o take off with the fuel hose still attached. The pilot (Tom Hanks) noticed this and immediately landed with no incident. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/19/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopter TAILNO: N5744Y AIRCRAFT: Helicopter FORMULATION: Dimilin 4L PILOT_INFO: Tom Hanks INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Weather at the LZ #24 was partly cloudy, 41 degrees with winds at 4 miles per hour BASIC INFO: The fuel hose was still attached to aircraft number N5744Y during take off. Two WVDA personnel were present during the near mishap. They were Tom Pownall (site supervisor) and Tyler Hern (mixing and loading officer). NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 12 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* At approximately 10:20 am aircraft #N6344D was taking on fuel at LZ#32, aircraft had finished treating, and rinsed spray tank, ground crew was fueling aircraft for return to Summit headquarters, when the re-fueling was finished the aircraft proceeded to take off with th e fuel hose still attached. Helicopter rose approximately 4 feet before the pilot (Dexter Williams) noticed this and immediately re-landed on top of the nurse truck. One ground crew member lost his balance while trying to unhook fuel nozzle and nearly fell off truck. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/22/2009 OWNER: Summit Helicopter TAILNO: N6344D AIRCRAFT: Helicopter FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: Dexter Williams INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Weather at the LZ #32 was partly cloudy, 67 degrees with winds at 0 -3 miles per hour BASIC INFO: The fuel hose was still attached to aircraft number N6344D during take off. Two WVDA personnel were present during the near mishap. They were Jerry Judy (site supervisor) and Jeff Johnson (mixing and loading officer). Also on site were other personnel , including Amy Onken, representing USFS. NARRATIVE: 2009 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 13 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Contractor pilot for the 2008 PA Fixed-wing Gypsy Moth Suppression program was flying out of the Pocono Mountains Airport {KMPO } on a scheduled spray flight. Pilot, due to a lack of preflight planning, strayed into the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Int. airport {KAVP} Class-D airspace at approximately 0730L. Flying at low-level, the aircraft entered the airspace without the pilot contacting approach or tower. He was flying purely by Sat-Loc GPS and dead reckoning to spray blocks supplied by the PA Bureau of Forestry personnel. A helicopter pilot operating on the suppression program and listening to the tower freq. overheard the AVP tower attempt to make contact with NXXX several times due to his pro ximity to two light jets on approach to the airport. The helicopter pilot contact his PA DCNR dispatcher over the VHF-FM frequency who in-tur n relayed to incursion pilot's dispatcher, who eventually in-turn relayed to pilot over VHF-FM that the tower was attempting to contact him on their freq. Pilot also did not have VFR sectionals on-board to reference. Once in contact with the tower, he was queried by the tower as to his p osition: he reported to be South of the airport. The tower controller responded that he was actually west and in the vicinity of the approach corrid or to Runway 4. NXXX was reportedly to have been given a heading away from the airspace, to which he responded ''10-4''. The tower controller additi onally admonished him for not repeating the clearance or his call sign. The KAVP tower requested pilot contact them upon landing and as a formali ty this incident was passed on to the local FAA-FSDO {Allentown}. STATE: PA SPRAY DATE: 5/20/2008 OWNER: Bruce 9s Flying Service, Inc. TAILNO: N6136Z AIRCRAFT: Ayres Thrush FORMULATION: Foray 48B PILOT_INFO: Bruce Chisenhall INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: BASIC INFO: NARRATIVE: 2008 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 14 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Email from Mike Q:Michael D Quesinberry/R8/USDAFS 07/10/2006 11:46 AM To: Helen Butalla/NA/USDAFS@FSNOTES Subject Aircraft incident On June 26, 2006, while treating Gypsy Moth with pheromone "Disrupt II" an airplane incident occurred. The aircraft involved w as a single engine 210 Cessna, with a retractable landing gear, tail number N4688Q. Roger Messenger, Owner/operator of the Messenger Air LTD, 21 0 Cessna, failed to deploy the land gear during a routine landing at the DeKalb Municipal Airport, in DeKalb, IL. There were no environm ental conditions that hindered the pilot during landing. At the time of the incident, 12:06 central time, the sky was mostly clear and the airport r eported temperature was 70 and the 20 ft. winds were steady out of the North at 6-8 MPH. There were no injuries to the pilot or other support personne l including FS employees. The plane came to rest approximately 600 feet from the initial point of impact to the runway and approximately 15 feet left of center- line. The propeller was severely damaged and unknown damage to the belly of the aircraft. The FAA released the aircraft to th e pilot at 1400 hours and the plane was removed from the runway at 1506. Dan Zimmerman, NA-Aviation Officer, Rick Howe, R9- Acting Aviation Officer and Dave Broadnax- R8 Aviation Officer were contacte d immediately after the crash. 24, 48 and 72 hour reports were completed as per FS requirements. If you need anything else give me a shout. Michael Quesinberry USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection 1580 North Franklin St., Suite 7 Christiansburg, VA 24073 PHONE:540-394-2515 FAX:540-394-2514 e-mail: mquesinberry@fs.fed.us Email from Dan Zimmerman on 7/13/2006 Hello Helen, I just faxed a copy of the SAFECOM of N4688Q, Cessna Centurion 210L, that experienced a mishap at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal A irport, DeKalb, IL on June 26, 2006. Mike mentioned that you had requested a fax of the SAFECOM and that he was having difficulty resu rrecting the report from the database. So I just faxed it to your office fax (304-285-1508). The incident occurred at 1206hrs, June 26 at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport located in DeKalb, IL. The company, Messenger Air, Ltd., was subcontracted by Hatfield Spraying Services based in Nunica, MI. After a thorough investigation, eyewitness testimony and pilo t's testimony; the incident is a human factors failure of the pilot in not following pre-landing checklist and executing the procedures for engagi ng the landing gear during final approach to Runway 2 of the airport. Results of not extending the landing gear was a bent 3-blade prop, damage to the undercarriage of the main fuselage, and possible damage to the engine which must be determined by further inspection and a run up with the pr op and prop hub disassembled from the engine. The pilot was conducting a weather reconnaissance flight and was subcontracted as an observation pilot for the STS operation. A complete report has been assembled as of today and must be submitted to the FAA nlt 30days from the incident. A copy of the r eport will be retained at the NTS office under aviation mishap files, a copy to R8 RAO, R9 RAO, and the FS National Aviation Safety Managers office in Boise. There were no fatalities, injuries, or damage to the airport. However, the aircraft received minimal damage but is grounded un til engine checks and fuselage examinations are conducted. Then the pilot is issued a Ferrying Permit to fly the aircraft back to Ohio where its base is located in Ottawa for further repairs pending FAA approvals. STATE: IL SPRAY DATE: 6/26/2006 OWNER: Messenger Air LTD TAILNO: N4688Q AIRCRAFT: Cessna 210 FORMULATION: Disrupt II PILOT_INFO: Roger Messenger INCIDENT_TYPE: Other WEATHER: Sky was mostly clear and the airport reported temperature was 70 and 20ft. Winds were BASIC INFO: The aircraft involved was a single engine 210 Cessna, with a retractable landing gear, tail number N4688Q. Roger Messenger, Owner/operator of the Messenger Air LTD, 210 Cessna, failed to deploy the land gear during a routine landing at the DeKalb Municipal Airport, in DeKalb, IL. NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 15 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Mike Quesinberry, Rick Howe, and Dan Zimmerman were the primary investigators of the incident. If I can be of further assistan ce, please don't hesitate to call or email. Thx/Dan Danny R. Zimmerman, MAS Area Aviation Officer Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry USDA-Forest Service 610.557.4147 (Office) 610.742.7860 (Cell) 610.557.4150 (Fax) dzimmerman@fs.fed.fs *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 16 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* 0622 Wheels up from Seymour airport. Sunny and calm winds, similar weather as that reported about from the treatment site. 0628 Pilot reports vibration with the aircraft and returns to Seymour airport. Pilot thought it may a problem with the pump. At the time of the report, the aircraft was flying over rural farm land. 0635 Wheels down 0640 Examine aircraft Blade came off of one atomizer which created the vibration and blew end caps off of the booms. Pilot thought that lose of the b lades on one nozzle caused one blade on second nozzle to break off. 0650 Drove pilot to various stores to obtain repair supplies and returned to repair nozzles and spray boom. 0847 Ron Wolf arrived from Wakarusa with repair parts and supplies. 0900 wheels up from Seymour airport 0907 release of Btk at treatment site 0912 ground observer reports good spray pattern 0931 complete treatment at site 0940 approximately wheels down at Seymour Airport and download spray files 0945 approximately wheels up to return to Wakarusa On left boom, inboard most atomizer lost all 3 blades. The left boom middle atomizer lost 1 blade. The blades broke off at at omizer housing leaving just the base of the blade in the housing. The inboard atomizer was replaced with another atomizer housing and blades but nozzle was not replaced. One blade was replaced on the middle atomizer. The end caps were replaced on the booms. Aircraft had 125 gallons Foray 76B in the hopper at the time of wheels up at 0622. Upon return and containment of leaking Btk from the nozzle and booms, 95 gallons remained the tank. Estimate that 10 gallons spilled onto a gravel area just off the ramp, which was cont ained and cleaned up by the pilot. Believe the other gallons were lost in flight when the end caps blew off. The pilot flew the aircraft from Wakarusa to Seymour the evening of May 2, 2006. During the flight, the blades on the atomizer s were turned to minimize spin of the atomizer. The morning of May 3, the blades were turned to correct angle for application. Atomizer nozzles are ASC Rotary atomizer. Incident Reporter: Philip T. Marshall Forest Health Specialist Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry Vallonia State Nursery 2782 W Co Rd 540 S Vallonia IN 47281 812-358-9034 or 3621 STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/3/2006 OWNER: Agriflite Services Inc, David Eby TAILNO: N4551L AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 402 FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: David Eby INCIDENT_TYPE: Rotary Atomizer Malfunction WEATHER: See narrative. BASIC INFO: Aircraft was in route from airport to treatment site and reported vibration and returned to airport. Found blades had broken o ff two atomizers. Pilot initially thought it was problem with the pump. NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 17 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* 0553 Wheels up Wakarusa 0617 Start application at Churubusco 0655 Complete application at Churubusco and fly to County Road 300S & 650W site 0700 Start application at County Road 300S & 650W site 0710 Complete application at County Road 300S & 650W site and fly to Ege North site 0717 Start application at Ege North site 0731 Complete application at Ege North site and return to Wakarusa airfield to reload. 0753 Wheels down Wakarusa During return flight to Wakarusa airfield the right wing inboard atomizer lost two blades. Pilot believes that he let the airs peed get to high which may be involved in the blades breaking. Not sure of location when blades broke off, but the area between the last treatment si te and the airfield was rural farmland. The atomizer was replaced while reloading. The blades on all atomizers on N4551L and N502S were replaced between May 3 and May 8 with new blades because of the failure of the blades on N4551L on May 3. Incident Reporter: Philip T. Marshall, Forest Health Specialist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Vallonia State Nur sery, 2782 W Co Rd 540 S, Vallonia IN 47281 812-358-9034 or 3621 STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/8/2006 OWNER: Agriflite Services Inc, David Eby TAILNO: N4551L AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 402 FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: David Eby INCIDENT_TYPE: Rotary Atomizer Malfunction WEATHER: Weather was sunny and wind speeds were low and within application guidelines. BASIC INFO: Aircraft was returning to Wakarusa airfield from treating three sites and lost 2 blades on right wing inboard atomizer. NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 18 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* 1030 Wheels up Wakarusa 1034 Start application at Osceola Elkhart site 1132 Wheels down at Wakarusa to repair atomizer 1142 Wheels up Wakarusa 1146 Start application again at Osceola Elkhart site 1208 Complete application at Osceola Elkhart site 1210 Wheels down Wakarusa During application to the Osceola Elkhart site lost blades on the left inboard atomizer. The site is urban/suburban. The blad es on the atomizer were replaced and application continued. Not sure of cause for failure as do not know if it occurred during a turn or straight flight. The blades on all atomizers on N4551L and N502S were replaced between May 3 and May 8 with new blades because of the failure of the blades on N4551L on May 3. This was second blade failure of the day for this aircraft. There were no failures during the remainder of application on May 8 and applications on May 9. Atomizer is ASC brand. Incident Reporter: Philip T. Marshall Forest Health Specialist Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry Vallonia State Nursery 2782 W Co Rd 540 S Vallonia IN 47281 812-358-9034 or 3621 STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/8/2006 OWNER: Agriflite Services Inc, David Eby TAILNO: N4551L AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 402 FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: David Eby INCIDENT_TYPE: Rotary Atomizer Malfunction WEATHER: Weather was sunny and wind speeds were low and within application guidelines. BASIC INFO: Aircraft was treating the Osceola Elkhart site and lost blades on left inboard atomizer approximately one hour into the treatme nt period NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 19 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* 0552 Wheels up Wakarusa 0727 Wheels down at Wakarusa, completed application to Churubusco, County Road 600N & 350W and Ege North sites. 0820 Wheels up Wakarusa. 1005 Wheels down at Wakarusa, complete application to Huntertown South site 1015 Wheels up Wakarusa 1025 Start application at Osceola Elkhart site 1102 Report blade lost on atomizers on right wing 1106 Wheels down Wakarusa to repair atomizer 1124 Wheels up Wakarusa 1210 Complete application at Osceola Elkhart site 1216 Wheels down Wakarusa During application to the Osceola Elkhart site lost a blade on two atomizers on right wing. The blades were lost over a urban/ suburban site. The blades on the atomizer were replaced and application was completed. Not sure of cause for failure as do not know if it occurre d during a turn or straight flight. STATE: IN SPRAY DATE: 5/17/2006 OWNER: Agriflite Services Inc, David Eby TAILNO: N4551L AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 402 FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: David Eby INCIDENT_TYPE: Rotary Atomizer Malfunction WEATHER: Weather was sunny and wind speeds were 5-9 mph BASIC INFO: Aircraft was treating the Osceola Elkhart site and lost blades on inboard and middle atomizer on right wing approximately 5 hours into the day 9s treatment schedule. NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 20 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* At approximately 10:00 am pilot Frank Ousley returned to base within 20 minutes of taking off after noticing a vibration within the airplane. Upon landing, the atomizers were inspected and it was discovered that right-most atomizer was missing one blade altogether and anoth er was half- gone. The cause of the broken blades was determined to be a brass nut that had fallen off the valve and flown back into the pa th of the blades, thus breaking them off. The blades were replaced and the pilot was back in the air within one hour. STATE: MI SPRAY DATE: 5/17/2006 OWNER: Frank Ousley TAILNO: N9026E AIRCRAFT: Turbine Weatherly FORMULATION: Foray 48B PILOT_INFO: Frank Ousley INCIDENT_TYPE: Nozzle Malfunction WEATHER: ~60°F, Wind WSW @ 6 mph, Visibility 10 mi., mostly cloudy BASIC INFO: Brass valve cap fell off and broke rotary atomizer blade. NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 21 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* On May 25th, Dan Rudisill (Subcontracted AgRotors Pilot) discovered that helicopter N49718 had been broken into and beer cans h ad been left in the cockpit. The aircraft had remained at LZ #10, located northeast of Bear Creek in Luzerne County, the following evening. T his LZ was somewhat isolated but not secured by a lockable gate. Mr. Roy Wilt (Dispatcher) was instructed to have Mr. Rudisill inspect th e aircraft and to note all instances of damage or possible tampering. After several phone conversations with Tim Marasco (Field Operations Secti on Supervisor), I communicated to Mr. Wilt that if the pilot felt that the aircraft was safe and airworthy, he could begin operations. Mr. Rudis ill purged all fuel in the aircraft tank and replenished with clean fuel and completed inspection. Mr. Rudisill began operations following the inspection and fuel replenishment. Following this incident, Mr. Rudisill elected to ferry the aircraft to and from the LZ and overnight it at Wilk es Barre / Scranton Airport while operating in Luzerne County. Submitted by: Tim Marasco STATE: PA SPRAY DATE: 5/25/2006 OWNER: AgRotors, Inc. TAILNO: N49718 AIRCRAFT: Bell 206 FORMULATION: Foray 76B PILOT_INFO: Daniel Udisill INCIDENT_TYPE: Criminal Action WEATHER: Not a factor. BASIC INFO: Aircraft vandalized overnight at Bear Creek LZ in Luzerne County NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 22 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Safecom Report: Tracking #: 06-0357 Date Submitted: 6/12/2006 10:47:00 AM EVENT Date: 6/9/2006 Local Time: 1507 Injuries: No Damage: No Location: Farmville State: Virginia Operational Control: Forest Service (USFS) > Region 08 Southern Area Region MISSION Type: Survey/Observation (Non-Fire) Other: Procurement: Other: Persons Onboard: 1 Special Use: Hazardous Materials: No Departure Point: Farmville, VA Destination: Farmville, VA AIRCRAFT Manufacturer: Cessna Model: 210 NARRATIVE At 15:08, The pilot called on the radio that he smelled smoke in the cockpit and was coming back to the airport. He was conduct ing flight following for an application aircraft approximately 1 mile from the Farmville, VA airport. He landed safely at the airport at 15:08 CORRECTIVE ACTION A mechanic on site found the source of the problem, a ground out starter. The starter was replaced and he flew back to his home base (Silar City, NC)and landed at 18:16. Categories: Incident:Precautionary Landing STATE: VA SPRAY DATE: 6/9/2006 OWNER: Orion Aviation TAILNO: N9032M AIRCRAFT: Cessna 210 FORMULATION: PILOT_INFO: John Estes INCIDENT_TYPE: Emergency Landing WEATHER: Clear, sunny BASIC INFO: See SafeCom Report in Narrative NARRATIVE: 2006 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 23 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Report received from Donna Leonard: June 22, 2004 Notes: Precautionary Landing in Franklin Co., VA Pilot: John Amundson Aircraft: Cessna 182L, Tail # N42801 Location: Boones Mill, VA (37 02.93 9 and 80 00.11 9) USFS Contract No. 53-63A9-3-1 (Flake application contract for the STS project) Contracting Officer: Randy Lloyd, USFS, MN Shared Services Contracting Unit, Duluth MN COR: Donna Leonard, Entomologist, USFS Forest Health Protection, Asheville, NC At 14:55 on Tuesday afternoon N42801 made a precautionary landing in a hayfield near the Check block in Franklin Co, VA. The p ilot was in contact with and observed by spray pilot Rick Reed (N1025A) until he was safely on the ground. Roanoke tower was contacted pri or to landing. FAA and JNF dispatch contacted immediately after the event. Mary Sims (VDACS), Al Schiffer (contractor) and Eric Smith (FS LEO, JNF) were dispatched to the site with instructions to prese rve the scene until further advice could be obtained from R8 Aviation Officer. Pilot had walked to the nearest house (Claude Green, 582 Retreat Rd , Boones Mill, VA, 540-483-4855) and was in contact with base via cell phone. State police and Channel 10 were also at site. LEO remained at sit e; others returned to base at 1830. Rather than initiating an immediate stand down; each aircraft was allowed to finish their load prior to returning to base. Ope rations ceased by 16:30. R8 aviation officer (Broadnax) made contact with D. Leonard, the pilot and LEO at 19:00 and established the following: 1.The event was a reportable NTSB incident and had been reported as such through FAA 2.The aircraft had a factory installed engine with less than 1000 hours 3.Other than a bent propeller blade, there was no substantial damage to the aircraft 4.The pilot was not injured Based upon this information, the R8 aviation officer gave verbal instructions as follows: 1.Until further notice the pilot was grounded and the aircraft and scene were to be preserved undisturbed 2.The remaining pilots/aircraft could return to duty at 0700 on Wed., June 23 3.SAFECOM to be submitted by 1000 on Wed 4.Pending contact with Ron Hanks the event was considered an incident Wednesday: 1.SAFECOM submitted 2.Digital photos of aircraft provided to R8 aviation officer 3.Event classified as an incident 4.FAA released the aircraft to the contractor at 1000 and USFS followed soon after 5.Site and aircraft secured by LEO until contractor (JRA Executive Air) arrived to transport aircraft at 1000 on Thursday 6.Pilot allowed to resume duties on Thursday morning /s/ Donna S. Leonard The following statement was provided by John Amundson, pilot, Cessna 182L, N42801 On June 22, 2004, at approximately 14:50 while I was conducting safety / communication services for the spray aircraft working in the Check STATE: VA SPRAY DATE: 6/22/2004 OWNER: Unknown TAILNO: N42801 AIRCRAFT: Cessna 182L FORMULATION: PILOT_INFO: John Amundson INCIDENT_TYPE: Emergency Landing WEATHER: BASIC INFO: At 14:55 on Tuesday afternoon N42801 made a precautionary landing in a hayfield near the Check block in Franklin Co, VA. The pilot was in contact with and observed by spray pilot Rick Reed (N1025A) until he was safely on the ground. Roanoke tower was contacted prior to landing. FAA and JNF dispatch contacted immediately after the event. NARRATIVE: 2004 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 24 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* block, the engine began to lose power. I immediately checked the GPS for an airport at which to land. There were none within 10 miles. Then, I set up for an off-airport landing and looked for a suitable field. Most of the fields in the area had hay bales in them. Ther e was a decent looking field just ahead and to the left and I chose it. While doing this, I was also trouble shooting the engine. I selected the lef t fuel tank, which seemed the fullest. I had previously applied full carburetor heat, which was the only thing that seemed to keep the engine running, a lbeit at reduced power. During this time I was being observed and was offered advice from other company aircraft, some of whom stayed with me u ntil I was safely on the ground. The field I selected was rather small but was aligned with the prevailing wind. I flew a circling, descending pattern, selecti ng full flaps when the landing was assured. The touchdown was on a slight uphill about 200 feet into the field. The ground was extremely rough, which caused me to bounce. Since the field was short (guessing approx 1,000 feet), I put the nose wheel down and applied maximum braking. This i s probably when the propeller struck the ground and bent one of the blades about 15 degrees. The aircraft stopped well short of the fence line. Since the engine was still running, I taxied a short distance to the fence gate. After relaying my GPS position to company aircraft (37 02.93 9 and 80 00.11 9), I secured the aircraft. There appeared to be no other damage than the propeller. *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 25 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Preliminary Mishap Information from Donna Leonard - (Updated 6/28/03) Project: Slow-the Spread (Gypsy Moth); Contract No.: 53-63A9-3-1 Contracting Officer: Randy Lloyd, R9, Superior NF, Duluth, MN COR: Donna Leonard, R8, S&PF, FHP (828-273-4324) Date: Thursday, June 26, 2003 Time: Approximately 09:50 a.m. EST Location: Near the town of Narrows in Giles Co., VA (Near Blacksburg) Contractor: Al 9s Aerial Spraying, Ovid, MI Aircraft: Air Tractor 400, N4506L Pilot: John Tallman Injuries: Chest bruising and soreness from harness; pilot was examined at the New River Valley Hospital and released at noon on June 26 Security: Mike Evans, Jefferson NF, LEO Notes: -Forced emergency landing while treating for gypsy moth (possible engine failure) -Chase ship pilot John Amundson observed the incident and guided VA State Police Helicopter to the site where the pilot was pic ked up within 15 minutes of the incident and transported to the hospital. Chase pilot also guided spray block ground observer (Virginia Departm ent of Agriculture employee) to the site within 20 minutes. -Initial reports from chase pilot indicated minimal damage to aircraft as observed from the air (1000 ft above site). However, ground visits to the site revealed considerable damage to the aircraft (collapsed landing gear, propellers separated from aircraft nose, wing and fr ame damage). -Fuel leaking from aircraft -No pesticide leaks -FAA, Giles Co. Sheriffs Dept., and 911 and notified and responded to the site -FAA (Joe Fye, Charleston, WV) and FS investigators (Dennis Brown, R5 and Bill McMillan R8) visited the scene on 6/27. STATE: VA SPRAY DATE: 6/28/2003 OWNER: Al's Aerial Spraying TAILNO: N4506L AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 400 FORMULATION: Unknown PILOT_INFO: John Tallman INCIDENT_TYPE: Emergency Landing WEATHER: Unknown BASIC INFO: Forced emergency landing while treating for gypsy moth (possible engine failure). NARRATIVE: 2003 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 26 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Safecom Report: Name: Donna Leonard Phone: (828) 273-4324 Organization: USDA Forest Service Date 06/23/03 Address: PO Box 2680, Asheville, NC 28802 E- Mail Address: dleonard@fs.fed.us 2. EVENT Date: 06/23/03 Local time: 11:47 Injuries? Y N Damage? Y N Location: Mercer Co. airport, Bluefield WV State: WV 3. MISSION Type: application chase ship Procurement Cont No. 53-63A9-3-1 Pax, Cargo, Recon, Sling, Longline, etc. Contract, CWN, Rental, Fleet, etc. Number of Persons: 1 Special Use? No Hazardous Material Onboard? No Departure Point: Mercer Co. airport Destination: Mercer Co airport 4. AIRCRAFT (Reg.)N#: 2368G Manufacturer: Cessna Model: 182S Owner/Operator: Northwoods Aviation, Cadillac, MI Pilot: Ray Hill 5. NARRATIVE Provide a brief explanation of the event. Shortly after take-off, the pilot reported engine running roughly. Returned to base 7 minutes after take-off. Further inspect ion revealed a stuck valve and bent rod. 6. CORRECTIVE ACTION Current tach at 534.3 hours; 30.8 hrs past annual. Tim Kerns (A&P mechanic from Albatross Aviation, certified maintenance faci lity, Beckley, WV) STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 6/23/2003 OWNER: Northwoods Aviation, Cadillac, MI TAILNO: N2368G AIRCRAFT: Cessna 182S FORMULATION: PILOT_INFO: Ray Hill INCIDENT_TYPE: Emergency Landing WEATHER: BASIC INFO: Shortly after take-off, the pilot reported engine running roughly. Returned to base 7 minutes after take-off. Further inspect ion revealed a stuck valve and bent rod. NARRATIVE: 2003 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 27 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* replaced the cylinder on 6/24. Returned to svc 6/25 SEND TO: USDA Forest Service - Local Forest and Regional Aviation Safety Office in which the event took place. U.S. Department of the Interior - Through Bureau channels to OAS safety Manager, P.O. Box 15428, Boise, ID 83715-5428 or El ectronically through SAFETYNET at (208) 387-5823 (8-1-N) This form is used to report any condition, observance, maintenance problem, act or circumstance which has potential to cause an aviation-related mishap. Coding: For use of Regional Aviation safety Manager. CAUSE PHASE OCCURRENCE *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 28 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Just after the first pass on block number 15, Scott attempted to make the turn to return back to the spray block and he said he hit a "down draft". At that point he felt he needed to dump the load in order to maintain control of the aircraft. There were elevation changes in and around the block from 1,500 to 2,400 feet. There was no damage to the aircraft or pilot. Because the incident occurred in a remote area, there was no impact to humans or livestock. STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/12/2002 OWNER: TAILNO: N503D AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor 503-A FORMULATION: Dimilin PILOT_INFO: Scott Peterson INCIDENT_TYPE: Aerial Dump WEATHER: Overcast VFR flight conditions. Visibility of 10 miles. Winds 3 to 5 with gust to 8 mph. BASIC INFO: Aircraft N503D dumped 384 gallons of Dimilin (1/2 oz AI pergallon) spray material over a remote uninhabited area of Hardy County. NARRATIVE: 2002 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 29 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* N88MQ had completed his first load of 290 gallons of Dimilin into block number 29. He had returned with his last load and was about halfway completed when the incident occurred. There were approximately 140 gallons of Dimilin on board. There was a power line on the south end of the spray block. It is not known if N88MQ impacted the power lines or if they were a contributing factor in any way. Email from Noel Schneeberger: Noel Schneeberger, 05/20/02 08:58 AM To: Kathryn Maloney/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, John Nordin/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Robert Mangold/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Ken Knauer/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES cc: Daniel Twardus/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, John Hazel/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Michael Connor/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Dan Zimmerman/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Thomas Hofacker/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES Subject: N88MQ--aircraft accident on GM project in WV I regret to inform you that there was a pilot fatality on the WV gypsy moth suppression project Sunday (May 19). The attached report from Butch Sayers, WV gypsy moth program manager, will give you the initial details. The accident occurred near Randolph Jennings Lake ju st south of Westerport, Maryland (extreme western MD). I spoke with Butch this morning and he provided the following update; 1. WV gypsy moth suppression project is shut down today. They may start up again tomorrow. 2. The contractor (Maurice's flying service), WV State Police and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the a ccident today. 3. Project personnel suspect that the cause was a power line strike, HOWEVER this has NOT been confirmed. There is a power line to the south of the treatment area; project personnel and the pilot discussed the location of this power line before the treatments occurred and the pilot was reminded of the power line by project personnel during the treatment. We have left a message for Dan Zimmerman on his cell phone to please follow up with the details on this accident. I have asked the WV gypsy moth project manager to continue to send us updated reports on the accident. Email from :Dan Zimmerman, 05/21/02 12:36 AM To: George Brooks/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, John Hazel/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, John Nordin/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Karen Mollander/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Kathryn Maloney/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Ken Knauer/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Michael Prouty/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Robin Morgan/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Susan Lacy/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Tony Kern/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Samuel Stone/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Barb Hall/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, jantipin@fs.fed.us, ken knauer@fs.fed.us, linda haenn@fs.fed.us, michelle frank@fs.fed.us, nmartin@fs.fed.us, noel schneeberger@fs.fed.us, Daniel Twardus/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, William R Frament/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Marc Roberts/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Rodney Whiteman/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Bradley Onken/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Amy Onken/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Michael Connor/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Robert Mangold/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Jesus Cota/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Tim McConnell/WO/USDAFS@FSNOTES cc: Alan Zentz/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Dan Zimmerman/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, George Brooks/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Jan Polasky/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Kathy M Greene/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Linda Haenn/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Lori Gordon/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Malcolm Gramley/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Melissa Frey/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Randy Harrison/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Thomas Brady/R9/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Stuart Bothwell/R9/USDAFS@FSNOTES, Nicholas S Greear/R9/USDAFS@FSNOTES, tacointel@aol.com, Dan Zimmerman/NE/USDAFS@FSNOTES Subject: 24hr Initial Brief - Aircraft Accident Report 24hr Initial Report - Aircraft Accident At 1250hrs, May 19, 2002, an agricultural aircraft accident occurred near Jennings Randolph Reservoir, West Virginia, while spr aying a gypsy moth spray block, fatally injuring pilot Kenneth Yegella, 57, of Florida. Ken was a high-time pilot operating an Ayers Turbo Th rush S2R-G10 aircraft for Maurice Flying Service based at Lake View, Michigan. Maurice Flying Service is contracted by West Virginia Department of Ag riculture for STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/19/2002 OWNER: Maurice Quesnel TAILNO: N88MQ AIRCRAFT: Ayres Turbo Thrush S2R FORMULATION: Dimilin PILOT_INFO: Kenneth E. Yegella INCIDENT_TYPE: Crash WEATHER: Partly overcast VFR flight conditions. Visibility of 12+ miles. Winds 1-7 mph BASIC INFO: Fatal incident occurred at approximately 12:50pm involving aircraft N88MQ operated by Kenneth E. Yegella. The incident occurred near Jennings Randolph Lake on the Westernport Topo. The aircraft was owned by Maurice Quesnel. NARRATIVE: 2002 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 30 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* spraying specific areas infested with gypsy moths. The pilot was familiar with the terrain and had sprayed several loads of pes ticide material over the spray block prior to the time of the accident. A 24-hour safety stand-down has been imposed as a safeguard providing all affiliated personnel time to rest and regroup. The st ate manager reported that an observation aircraft was spotting high above over the spray plane and was actively advising the spray pilot of aerial hazards. The observation plane played a key role throughout the spraying operations and remained over the crash site assisting emergency ope rations. Investigators on site include representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administra tion, USDA Forest Service, and the State of West Virginia. I am on site and will keep you informed and soon provide a 72-hr Expanded Brief as the investigation continues. A formal report of the findings will be on file at the NA Headquarters Office following the conclusion of the invest igation. The NTSB will be developing a Preliminary Report, followed by a Factual Report, thereafter a Final Report, which will also be included in the Forest Service formal report. Aviation Safety Communique and Topography Map illustrating area of crash site is attached below. *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 31 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* While spraying a block the plane was struck twice by bullets from a large caliber gun, both bullets easily passed thru the lead ing edge of the left wing. Shot A passed thru the wing about 30 from the fuselage and passed thru the wing perpendicular to the line of flight but comes from the back, towards the front. Shot B passed thru the wing about 12 9 from the fuselage and passed thru the wing at about a 45 degree angle from bottom left to upper right (when facing direction of flight) and is almost perpendicular with the plane of the wing. The county police were contacted, came to the airport, took pictures, got the facts, and were going to get with the state polic e to visit the area and investigate the incident. The police are going to notify the F.B.I. Reported by John R. Omer STATE: WV SPRAY DATE: 5/5/2001 OWNER: Maurice Quisnel TAILNO: N4224X AIRCRAFT: Thrush FORMULATION: Dimilin PILOT_INFO: Jim Perrin INCIDENT_TYPE: Criminal Action WEATHER: partly cloudy, warm BASIC INFO: Plane shot at NARRATIVE: 2001 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 32 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Incident Report: Allegan County May 14, 2000 Gypsy Moth Program. 1.) Pre-incident: Aerial application of BT was suspended at 9:30 AM on this date due to high winds. At 4:00PM the county coordinator (Kim Pearso n), MDA Block Advisor (David Pasutti), and the contractor (Al Schiffer) meet to assess weather conditions. At 5:45 PM weather conditions (Wi nd and Humidity) improved and were within acceptable levels (Wind speed Measured at 8 MPH, Humidity 55%.) Spraying was resumed at 6:00 PM. The spray blocks in and around the town of Pullman were selected for spraying due to the presence of a school. The absence of children o n this Sunday evening was the best window for spraying for the next 5 days. The contractor (Al Schiffer) was the pilot of this spray run. 2.) 6:15 to 6:30 PM (estimated time of incident) The contractor, while spraying digitized blocks north of Pullman felt and heard what he describes as "Flying into a swarm of la rge insects or the sound and feel of a hand full of gravel hitting your car". Mr. Schiffer continued his spray run, turning and making repeated p asses. On two or three subsequent passes he felt the same contact on the aircraft. Knowing that something was very "odd", Mr. Schiffer marked the loc ation on his work map. 3.) 7:15 to 7:30 PM (estimated time) Contractor Al Schiffer, having continued his spray run and finishing the dispensing of his pesticide load, returned to the Alle gan County Airfield for more BT product. During re-loading Mr. Schiffer inspected his aircraft for possible bullet holes. Not finding any penetrating holes, Mr. Schiffer continued his pesticide applications. 4.) 8:15 PM (estimated time) MDA Block Advisor (David Pasutti) and county coordinator (Kim Pearson) received a phone call from Karen Schiffer (the contracto r's wife) stating that the State Police had contacted her and wanted to have Al phone them. Kim Pearson phoned the Michigan State Police at (616 ) 637-2125 and spoke with Trooper Tom Tanczos. Trooper Tanczos provided Ms. Pearson with the following: a) A Mr. Daryl Vanderheird contacted them and complained about low flying aircraft. Mr. Daryl threatened to shoot down the spr ay aircraft if it flew over his property again. B) Mr. Vanderheid threatened to turn his dogs on the investigating trooper. The trooper responded that if that happened, he wo uld have to shoot his dog in self-defense. Trooper Tanczos told Ms. Pearson the situation went down hill from there. C) Trooper Tanczos gave Ms. Pearson Mr. Vanderheid's address and phone number (Daryl Vanderheid, 1001 56th Street, Pullman: Ph one 236- 5886) and asked Ms. Pearson to phone him and explain the counties spray program. Ms. Pearson called Mr. Daryl Vanderheid, who said he was an organic grower and did not want pesticides to contaminate his crops . Ms. Pearson explained that the product used was a (BT) pesticide and that this product is often an acceptable organic gardening pest contro l. At the time, Ms. Pearson did not think that Mr. Vanderheid was included in the active spray block. The phone conversation was then ended with n o indication that Mr. Vanderheid had fired shots at Al Schiffer's aircraft. 5.) 8:25 PM (Estimated Time) Al Schiffer returned from his second spray run. After hearing that the State Police had contacted his office, Mr. Schiffer and other personal closely inspected his aircraft. At this time, a City of Allegan police officer came to the airport and inspected the aircraft with the flight crew. Wing and tail flaps had numerous dents of a type that could be caused by shotgun pellets. The Allegan police officer contacted the State Pol ice, and said that an officer would be out in 20 to 25 minutes. MDA Bock Advisor (David Pasutti) made phone contacts to Jan Ryan (Region 5 Coordi nator) and Mike Hansen (Supervisor Region 5). Jan Ryan contacted Jim Johnson (State Coordinator) who later contacted MDA block advisor (D avid Pasutti) known information was relayed to Mr. Johnson. Mike Hansen contacted David Pasutti later in the evening after receiving message of the incident. 6.) 9:15 PM (Estimate Time) A County sheriff deputy arrived and inspected the damage aircraft. Mr. Schiffer elected to have the investigation continued b y the Michigan State Police. The Allegan County Sheriff Deputy called the State police via radio, and left the airport. Kim Pearson, phoned her ea rlier contact (Trooper Tom Tanczos) and reported to him that the aircraft had been damaged by shotgun pellets. STATE: MI SPRAY DATE: 5/14/2000 OWNER: Al's Aerial Spraying TAILNO: N444AS AIRCRAFT: Air Tractor AT-400 FORMULATION: Btk PILOT_INFO: Al Schiffer INCIDENT_TYPE: Threat WEATHER: cool, partly cloudy, temp 97 degrees F, humidity 55% BASIC INFO: Someone shot at spray plane with a pellet gun. NARRATIVE: 2000 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 33 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* 7.) 10:30 PM (Estimated Time) Michigan State Police investigating trooper (I do not have his name) arrived and obtained a description of the incident from co ntractor Al Schiffer. The Allegan County Sheriff Deputy (the same deputy that was present earlier) returned and was present during the questioning of Mr. Schiffer. The State Police investigating trooper shared some of his insight from the original contact with Mr. Vanderheid, inspected the damaged aircraft, and took photos. A request was made by the Trooper for a copy of GPS maps and it was decided that he would arrange for them to be obtained from Kim Pearson at the county building on the Monday May 15, 2000. When asked what will happen next, it was explained (by the Trooper) that the suspect would not be approached until more information was gathered from possible witnesses. The investigation will most l ikely take one to two weeks and the exact nature of charges will be determined after the State Police contact the FAA. Communication from Kim Pearson, Allegan County Allegan County Gypsy Moth Program FROM: Kim Pearson 113 Chestnut Allegan County Allegan, Michigan 49010 Phone (616) 686-4518 Fax (616) 673-0303 E- mail: kpearson@accn.org Attention: Carolyn Norton My account of the events of May 14, 2000, pertaining to the alleged shots fired at Aircraft N444AS. Albert Schiffer of Al 9s Spraying piloted the airplane. The planes original time of departure from the Allegan airport was 6:06 p.m. returning at 7:10 p.m. The plane was reloaded with fuel and product and departed again at 7:18 p.m. There was no indication of trouble given to m e by the pilot at that time, although his ground crew later indicated he had examined his plane as if looking for damages: At approximately 8:00 p.m. the air service 9s cell phone rang. I answered the phone and it was Kathy Schiffer wanting me to get a message to Al from the Michigan S tate Police. I suggested that I call immediately to find out what it was pertaining to. I returned the call to Tom Tanczos on behalf of Al Sch iffer. Officer Tom Tanczos relayed information regarding a complaint about the planes flying over a resident, Tom said, The resident 9s main compla int was that he 9s an organic farmer, and he was concerned about chemicals on his property. Tom said, The resident threatened to shoot the planes if they did not quit going over his property, and at that point officers had been to the resident 9s premise. I then asked if they had seen a g un; the report was negative. Officer Tanczos indicated that there was nothing resolved as a result of the officers 9 visit. I offered to take the c omplaint 9s name, number, and address and call him. Officer Tanczos encouraged this idea saying the police had not been able to establish a good rapport with the resident. I called the resident at (616)-236-5886; approximately 8:00 p.m. connecting with the resident 9s answering machine. I left a detai led message as to what we were using, Btk, that it would not jeopardize his status as an organic grower and we were sorry for any inconvenience o r disturbance. I left my name and number if he had any questions. My next indication of a problem was when Al Schiffer, the pilot, landed the plane at 8:30 p.m. and reported being hit by shots. This has been reported to 911 and the police were on their way. *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 34 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Report 1 May 20, 2000 Initial Situation Report, Michigan's Gypsy Moth Aerial Applicator Aircraft Accident On May 20 (Saturday morning) at approximately 10:40 a.m. during a Gypsy Moth aerial pesticide (Bt) spraying operation, Muskegon County Coordinator's contracted aerial applicator, Hatfield Flying Service, experienced an accident involving one of Hatfield's fixed- wing ag spraying aircraft, fatally injuring pilot Ken Ferell. Initial information being provided by onsite personnel report that the aircraft was flying in perfect conditions within the app lication window for applying the pesticide Bt. Treatment was taking place in a wooded area described as nearby a residential area. The spray airc raft had applied numerous loads of pesticide since 0600hrs on the morning of the accident without any problems. A witness reported that as the pilot positioned the aircraft to begin spraying, two very loud bangs were heard and fire broke out in the engine as the plane continued to lose altitude and one side of the wing struck the tree canopy, impacted the ground in flames. It is not known if the plane, or any part of the plane was on fire before impact or afterwards. At the time of the accident, three planes were conducting aerial spraying in other blocks since 0600hrs with two observation pl anes monitoring the airspace, warning of aerial obstacles as towers and wires, and monitoring the spraying. As both observation planes were positi oned at much higher altitudes monitoring two spray planes, one of these observation pilots noted a pillar of smoke billowing up through the forest canopy in the approximate area where the third application plane was conducting spraying operations. The observation plane reported the acci dent back to the Airport as local citizens also reported the accident to 911. Within 5 to 7 minutes, the local fire company firefighters and E MTs were at the scene. Dwight Scarborough, NA St. Paul Field Office Project Technical Assistant, also arrived onsite as fire suppression operations we re taking place, security being established, and emergency procedures were being implemented. Jim Johnson, Michigan Gypsy Moth Program Manager has also arrived and implemented his safety plan procedures. A 24 hour SAFETY STANDDOWN has been initiated. Prior to the accident, Dwi ght and crews have had safety tailgate sessions throughout the project at beginning and days end briefings, including the morning prior to startup at 0600hrs which is commendable. FAA was notified and sent their representative to investigate. Thus far to this hour of my info rmation there has not been an NTSB official on scene yet, however NTSB may have turned this accident over to FAA. Currently 2,500 acres remain t o be sprayed of this 18,000 acre contract. Noteworthy to all....not all cellular phone carriers have the greatest coverage across the country. Real life example: At 3:0 0 p.m. NTSB turned over the wreckage of the helicopter to Ag Rotors that crashed in Clearfield County as I was witness to the papers releasing the wreckage. This concluded the field investigation and was returning to the Ohio spraying project in Akron when I needed to fuel my car up. For tunately, I called home to check messages as my cell has been out of coverage the entire time of the helicopter accident and found out that Jim Jo hnson, Mike Connors, Noel Schneeberger, George Brooks, Marc Roberts, and Dwight Scarbrough had been trying to contact me since the crash. I appreciate all these peoples efforts. I received much of the detail over the phone from Noel and Dwight after returning calls and notifyi ng many of you on your voice mail. As aviation technical assistance was needed as soon as possible, Dwight contacted Marc Roberts (NA/St. Paul Field Aviation Officer who was working with an applicator further north, contacted Mike Hopf in my absence (good decision) to request assist. Mike is enroute tonight and will be onsite tomorrow also as I continue my travel to the site. Thanks Mike for dropping your work to lend a hand. I ar rived at the commencement of this message at Akron, Ohio Comfort Inn (330) 666-5050, however, will be continuing over to Grand Rapids, Michi gan and onward north of Muskegon to the crash site to investigate. Professional counseling services are being served to those involved close to the accident. As I arrive on scene, I will be abl e to provide you further information. It's been a short night. /Dan Danny R. Zimmerman (610) 557-4147 Office (610) 587-9091 Cellular (610) 557-4154 Fax dzimmerman@fs.fed.us STATE: MI SPRAY DATE: 5/20/2000 OWNER: Hatfield Flying Service TAILNO: N178RA AIRCRAFT: Dromedere FORMULATION: Bt PILOT_INFO: Ken Ferell INCIDENT_TYPE: Crash WEATHER: Unknown BASIC INFO: On May 20 (Saturday morning) at approximately 10:40 a.m. during a Gypsy Moth aerial pesticide (Bt) spraying operation, Muskegon County Coordinator's contracted aerial applicator, Hatfield Flying Service, experienced an accident involving one of Hatfield's fixed-wing ag spraying aircraft, fatally injuring pilot Ken Ferell. NARRATIVE: 2000 *Aircraft incidents which occurred during USDA cooperative suppression, eradication, and slow-the-spread programs nationwide. Page 35 Aircraft Incidents, 1990 to 2010* Report 2 UPDATE - May 21,2000: Michigan Gypsy Moth Aerial Application Contract Aircraft Accident On May 20 ( Saturday) at 10:45 a.m., Muskegon County, Michigan Gypsy Moth Aerial Application Contractor, Hatfield Flying Servic es, experienced a fatal accident during a county spraying operation. Since the initial situation report, the following information provides you an update of events. In my absence of communication coverage, Marc Roberts contacted Mike Hopf, R9/RAO who responded immediately and arr ived onsite 1:00 a.m. May 21. After learning of the accident as previously noted, Dan Zimmerman, NA/AAO departed Clearfield County, PA helicopter crash after witnessing the NTSB release of wreckage to Ag Rotors, stopped at the Ohio Project at Medina County Airport and rece ived an project update and discussed safety topics, thereafter continuing to Muskegon County. Hatfield's aircraft, a polish built Dromedere, model MA-18, N178RA, was enroute to spray block 32 located in Dalton Township ne ar the village of Lake Club, approximately 15 miles north of the city of Muskegon, Michigan. The Federal Aviation Administration representative, Frank Schaefer, Grand Rapids FSDO, is in charge of the investigation and has made contact with the NTSB. At the time of the crash, a spotter p lane was enroute near the spray block but was not in the position to observe the crash. There was no radio communication from the Dromedere pri or to impact. Based upon eyewitness accounts, the aircraft involved in the accident was fully engulfed in a post-impact fire. The spotter a ircraft initiated communication to base of operations which is privately owned by Hatfield Flying Service. Rescue efforts by county fire departm ents arrived within 8 minutes of the fatal accident. The aircraft crashed approximately 300' north of occupied residences. There were two witness es who gave conflicting statements, however, both observed the aircraft in a low altitude, nose low descent, into the hardwood canopy. Due to previous days rainfall prevented the escape of the fire into the urban interface and was confined to the aircraft and immediate area surround ing the plane. The medical examin

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