Spraying (Agricultural)

The area to be seeded was a flooded rice paddy, rectangular in shape and approximately 1,650 feet east/west by 800 feet north/south, with the western bank 95 feet to the east of a river. There was an extensive area of dense timber, generally about 70 feet in height, on the western side of the river and a line of trees along the eastern bank. After making an aerial inspection of the area the pilot arranged for the two men who were to act as markers to take up positions on the banks of the paddy in preparation for easterly and westerly seeding runs commencing along the southern side. The first run was made into the east, approaching over the timbered area and towards the low sun. run was then made to the west followed by a steep pull-up and turn over the trees. The third run, again into the east, was commenced but no seed was dropped on this occasion possibly because of difficulties in observing and lining up with the marker at the western end of the paddy. The next run was to the west and was apparently normal and this was followed again by a steep pull-up and turn over the trees. Towards the end of the turn the aircraft was at an estimated height of 100 feet above the trees which was higher than on the previous turn in this area and may have resulted from an endeavour to observe each of the two markers in order to line up for the next run. The aircraft commenced a steep descent, with the wings level, consistent with an approach for a seeding run to the east. A few seconds later, when about 250 feet short of the rice paddy, the aircraft struck the sparsely foliated upper branches of a tree which extended about 20 feet above the other trees in the vicinity and the starboard elevator was torn off. With no apparent power reduction, and little change of direction, the aircraft rolled steeply to the left, descended and, after travelling a further 150 feet, struck another tree on the eastern side of the river. The wings and empennage were torn off and the fuselage fell through the tree to the ground and burst into flames.

On a crop-spraying flight for the kolkhoz (collective farm) 'Pobeda' at Kamennaya Sarma (Buzuluk district of the Orenburg region), the engine failed (probably due to a carburetor problem) while the aircraft was flying at a height of some 20-25 metres near Kamennaya Sarma. As an immediate forced landing was not possible due to the terrain configuration, the pilot initiated a left turn when the aircraft lost height, stalled and crashed. A pilot was killed while the second pilots was injured.

The crew was engaged in a crop spraying mission for a sovkhoz located in Pochep, in the Bryansk oblast. While flying at low height, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn when control was lost. The airplane crashed in a field and was destroyed. Seriously injured, both pilots died later at hospital. At the time of the accident, both crew members were intoxicated.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

While completing a spraying mission against malarial mosquitoes, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances near Phan Rang. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Charles Milton Deas,
1st Lt Richard William O'Keefe,
Lt Col Daniel Harrison Tate,
M/Sgt Donald Louis Dunn,
T/Sgt Clyde Wendell Hanson.

During a crop-spraying flight for the kolkhoz (collective farm) im. Kalinina in the Buka district of the Tashkent region (Uzbekistan), while flying at a height of 10 meters, the single engine airplane collided with a high-voltage power line located between the villages of Dzharkishlak and Kashka (near Almalyk). Out of control, it crashed in a cotton field 94 metres further on and nosed over. The captain was killed instantly while the copilot died while being transferred to the hospital. It was determined that the accident occured while the crew was spraying a field which has not to be sprayed.

During an unauthorized flight from Šeduva after crop-spraying operations for the sovkhoz (state farm) of Gražionis located near Radviliškis, the intoxicated pilot performed unauthorized manoeuvre at low height with two unauthorized passengers on board. He lost control of the aircraft that lost speed and crashed into the Možaicai forest located near Aukštelkai, 25 km east of Šiauliai, and burnt out. The pilot and both passengers were killed.

While on a crop-spraying flight for the sovkhoz 'Mars' located in the Bogatyye Saby district of Tatarstan, the captain fall asleep in the cockpit and let the second pilot in command. During flight, the copilot failed to detect a forest belt in time while flying a turn at low height. The aircraft collided with trees of the forest belt 2 km west of Satyshevo, crashed 170 metres further on, caught fire and burnt out. While a pilot was killed, the second occupant was injured.

On a crop-spraying flight from Guran (Tulun district of the Irkutsk region) for the kolkhoz 'Zavyety Ilyicha', the intoxicated crew made a steep turn at very low height when the aircraft lost speed and height and crashed. A pilot and the sole passenger (the director of the collective farm) were killed while the second pilot was seriously injured.

On a crop-spraying flight for the sovkhoz (state farm) 'Nekrasovo' in the Mikhailov district of the Ryazan region, the pilot-in-command initiated a steep left turn at a height of some 20-30 metres in order to avoid collision with a high-voltage powerline. The aircraft lost height, crashed in a field 340 metres from Natalinka, came to rest upside down and caught fire. Both pilots were killed.