Ayres SR2-T34 accident near Dewitt, Arkansas, May 14, 1998
On May 14, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Ayres SR2-T34, registered N393KW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dewitt, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain proper clearance from a fixed obstacle [utility pole] while maneuvering. A factor was pilot fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dewitt, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres SR2-T34
- Registration
- N393KW · registry record · serial T34-212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While applying chemicals to a field the pilot was maneuvering the agricultural airplane around a power line pole when the left wing tip contacted the base of the pole. The pilot then flew the airplane back to his base of operations. Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the outboard 2 1/2 feet of the left wing was torn off. The pilot had flown over 150 hours in the last 30 days, 12 hours in the last 24 hours, and about 4 hours on the morning of the accident. He stated he was fatigued.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,879 hours in all; 2,990 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,402 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 16, 1998; 108 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N393KW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW98LA217.