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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 1998
- 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
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N393KW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 42 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Arkansas 1,582 since 1982 · 177 in the last ten years
- Arkansas 3,493 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N393KW 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW98LA217.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.