Narrative:

I was conducting agricultural flight operations spraying fungicide on a cornfield. After applying the final application pass parallel to a power line that ran the length of the center of the field; I began a turn to apply a 'clean up' or; 'trim' pass to the end of the field; 90 degrees to my original flight path. My attention was focused on the area around a barn and house I would pass near. I was also looking for possible drift-sensitive areas and searching for possible bystanders. I was so focused on these areas that I lost situational awareness with respect to the power line directly in my path and flew through it; breaking several 1/2 to 5/8 inch cables. In simple terms; I forgot the wire was there. I thought I was well rested; having not flown the day before. However; I had flown 45 to 60 hours of spraying time in the 6 days before. I probably had not fully recovered from the effects of long days and short nights. The urge to 'catch up' on pressing work created some self-imposed pressure. All this made for a tough time remaining focused on the right priority; not hitting something while working in the low altitude; high threat environment. Although there was minimum structural damage to the airplane; and I was unscathed; this was still a serious event in my opinion. In this industry; this sort of thing happens with some regularity; the airplanes are built to withstand wire strikes; it is somewhat an occupational hazard; but a serious hazard nonetheless. Although I have many years of jet fighter experience; including combat time; and have flown agriculture sporadically for many years; this event still serves to reinforce what we already know: pay attention; don't let your attention wander; remember your priorities; get adequate rest and hydration; experience does not make you immune; and back off a little when you find yourself rushing to catch up. This was purely a human factors event. I will certainly spend some time reviewing the causal factors and searching for answers. I have attended training sessions and helped develop course materials to teach human factors and CRM to agricultural pilots. Still; I find myself filling out this report; answering calls from concerned friends in the industry and customers. 'This business is not brain surgery; but you gotta' pay attention to what you are doing.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A very experienced AG CAT pilot lost situational awareness during an agricultural spraying operation. He hit and broke several electrical power lines which he knew were there causing minimal aircraft damage.

Narrative: I was conducting agricultural flight operations spraying fungicide on a cornfield. After applying the final application pass parallel to a power line that ran the length of the center of the field; I began a turn to apply a 'clean up' or; 'trim' pass to the end of the field; 90 degrees to my original flight path. My attention was focused on the area around a barn and house I would pass near. I was also looking for possible drift-sensitive areas and searching for possible bystanders. I was so focused on these areas that I lost situational awareness with respect to the power line directly in my path and flew through it; breaking several 1/2 to 5/8 inch cables. In simple terms; I forgot the wire was there. I thought I was well rested; having not flown the day before. However; I had flown 45 to 60 hours of spraying time in the 6 days before. I probably had not fully recovered from the effects of long days and short nights. The urge to 'catch up' on pressing work created some self-imposed pressure. All this made for a tough time remaining focused on the right priority; not hitting something while working in the low altitude; high threat environment. Although there was minimum structural damage to the airplane; and I was unscathed; this was still a serious event in my opinion. In this industry; this sort of thing happens with some regularity; the airplanes are built to withstand wire strikes; it is somewhat an occupational hazard; but a serious hazard nonetheless. Although I have many years of jet fighter experience; including combat time; and have flown agriculture sporadically for many years; this event still serves to reinforce what we already know: pay attention; don't let your attention wander; remember your priorities; get adequate rest and hydration; experience does not make you immune; and back off a little when you find yourself rushing to catch up. This was purely a human factors event. I will certainly spend some time reviewing the causal factors and searching for answers. I have attended training sessions and helped develop course materials to teach human factors and CRM to agricultural pilots. Still; I find myself filling out this report; answering calls from concerned friends in the industry and customers. 'This business is not brain surgery; but you gotta' pay attention to what you are doing.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.