Regarding Miss., Ala. wings' 3-day search for missing crop duster ends

[Hoorah]

Here's the story.  January 6, 2009
Capt. Phil Norris
Public Affairs Officer
Mississippi Wing
Maj. Pat Mitcham
Public Affairs Officer
Alabama Wing
MISSISSIPPI – The Mississippi and Alabama wings' joint three-day search for a missing AT-602 crop duster has ended with a local landowner's discovery of the plane in the northeast corner of Neshoba County, Miss.
The pilot did not survive.
The search began late the afternoon of Jan. 2 and ended late the afternoon of Jan. 5. Ground search teams from the Mississippi and Alabama wings and numerous other agencies were involved. 
The search efforts were limited primarily to ground operations because inclement weather with low cloud ceilings prevented air searches Jan. 3 and allowed only limited searches the next day.   
The mission began in Alabama early Jan. 3, with ground teams investigating possible landing sites around York, Boyd and Livingston. The next day a short break in the weather allowed one aerial search of several possible sites in the area.
Searchers concentrated their efforts along the flight path of the yellow and blue crop duster, which had been returning to Cleveland, Miss., from Greenville, Ala., with contact last occurring near Livingston, Ala.
Ground teams from the Mississippi Wing expended more than 300 man-hours during the search.  In Alabama, 38 members totaled more than 700 hours in search time.
Other agencies involved were various county emergency management agencies, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, local law enforcement agencies, local firefighting agencies and other volunteers, all of whom invested enormous amounts of time and effort.
Anybody got pics or anything else about this story please reply.

[Hoorah]

I have found more info about it.
An Arkansas crop duster died when his plane crashed in rural Neshoba County near the Bogue Chitto community and caught fire in bad weather on Friday, the authorities said.
A Neshoba County landowner discovered the wreckage of a yellow and blue crop-duster on Monday evening.
The pilot's body, who is believed to be 48-year-old Monty Hudson of Jonesboro, Ark., was found inside the plane, authorities said.
Hudson was flying from Greenville, Ala. to Jonesboro when his plane dropped off radar in Alabama on Friday.
Much of the search had been concentrated in Alabama.
He was accompanied by a second pilot in another plane who authorities said made an emergency landing at the Naval Air Station in northern Lauderdale County before taking off and landing in a field in the Blackwater community of Kemper County.
That pilot was not injured.
The wreckage in Neshoba County, which authorities described as hanging nose down in pine trees, was discovered at 5:30 p.m. two miles northeast of Bogue Chitto off Road 765.
"We put out an alert for landowners, hunters and residents in Winston, Kemper and Neshoba counties to be on the look out for the plane," Capt. Al Sayre of the Mississippi Wing Civil Air Patrol said. "A landowner along Road 765 was was searching for the plane when he found the wreckage."
Neshoba County Sheriff Donnie Atkins said the plane had caught on fire after crashing into trees and it appeared the pilot was trapped inside.
"After making sure the plane was secure enough, we retrieved the body around 10 p.m.," he said.

[Al Sayre]

There are no photos.

[Hoorah]

http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/file.cfm//media/news/ALhuntsvillebronco_205A43B047040.jpg

[Al Sayre]

What do I know, I was just the IC...

[Dirtman]

Capt Sayre

I spent a fair amount of time in LA and Ark two years ago for a work project, was out in very rural areas, cotton and rice country.  The crop dusters were like flies it seems, they were all over the place, flying to and from, landing on dirt roads to reload etc.  Do you happen to know how often or how common it is for them to go down.  I have read where they have a very short life span so to speak.  Local CD took out a power line here last year, he was able to make it back to the airport and land safely.  Crop dusters are not common here.  Maybe one every 5/6 counties.  There it seemed like there were two or three every section.............

Thanks
Dirtman

[Al Sayre]

There are a lot of them and they also move around alot, but because most work fairly closely with their ground crews this is the first search for one I have been involved with.  I know of one Ag-cat that went down during the summer no search involved, but that is it.  When you consider the hours they fly and the type of flying they do, they seem to have a pretty good safety record.  My understanding is that this gentleman had been doing it for about 10 years.

[Dirtman]

From talking with the locals, when one goes down he either makes a great save or its not pretty.  We stopped in at one of the "airports" for lack of a better word, there was what looked like an old school building with a gym and a semi paved quarter mile or maybe half mile runway.  The guys were filling up with insecticide hot, and in the gym there was an Air Tractor with the engine out and under the tent there was another Air Tractor with the tanks/booms out..............it was very hot that day and they were flying with the doors off.............

Thanks for the info. 

[RiverAux]

According to the 2007 AOPA Nall Report, aerial application accounts for 4.6% of the flying, but only 4.3% of total accidents and 3.3% of fatal accidents.  So, though that data isn't perfect, it seems as if crop dusting is a little safer than you might think.  Personal flying still looks to be the most dangerous -- accounts for 48.2% of flying, 71.5% of total accidents and 71.8% of fatal accidents. 

[Pylon]

According to the 2007 AOPA Nall Report, aerial application accounts for 4.6% of the flying, but only 4.3% of total accidents and 3.3% of fatal accidents.  So, though that data isn't perfect, it seems as if crop dusting is a little safer than you might think.  Personal flying still looks to be the most dangerous -- accounts for 48.2% of flying, 71.5% of total accidents and 71.8% of fatal accidents. 

I wouldn't question that accident statistics, but I would question how they derived their statistics on how much flying time is clocked under aerial application.  I wouldn't imagine that many crop dusters file flight plans or call 1-800-WX-BRIEF before their flight...  I would guess most just take off, do their job and land, many times without anyone else taking note.  How then can one accurately estimate those flight hours?

[RiverAux]

The flight hours are apparently based on information provided by the FAA, which I assume are based on some sort of survey of pilots and their flight hours.  They don't cite a specific FAA report in the Nall report (that I saw), but I would assume it is done using a scientifically valid method. 

[DNall]

Why you gotta keep throwing my name around like that, it's not my report!    Crop duster flying certainly looks scary, but they seem to avoid hitting things pretty well and are good at landing on poor fields. I would trust the gist of what river is saying about those stats, even if the numbers are not 100% accurate. GA pilots that are low time or aren't as active as they should be or way up in age all scare me a lot more than crop dusters or helos.

[RiverAux]

Why you gotta keep throwing my name around like that, it's not my report!

Believe me, I think of you every time I mention their reports (which I guess I do fairly regularly).

[DNall]

  what can I say, aviation in the blood.