Six days ago I had a rude awakening at the entrance station to the Antelope Island causeway.
First let me set the stage. Antelope Island is a state park which is accessed by a 7 mile long causeway and road. That causeway “belongs” to Davis County, even though the entrance station to the park is at the beginning of the causeway. Said another way, you pay your Antelope Island use fee at the entrance station and then drive, walk or bike the seven miles of causeway road before you actually access the island and enter the state park.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 100mm
Last Wednesday morning I was stopped at the entrance station before driving the causeway road to the island when this airplane began flying extremely low over the station in multiple passes. The plane is apparently equipped as a spray plane (crop duster) but in the entire time I watched and photographed it I could never see spray coming from the plane. It’s possible that the pilot was “reconnoitering” the area for later spraying of the phragmites along the mudflat edge but that’s only a guess.
Each of these seven images was taken while I was standing on the asphalt within about 25′ of the entrance station. Notice that most of them were taken at 160 mm or less so the perspective is not significantly distorted by long focal lengths. Images are presented in the order they were taken.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 100mm
This is the electronic information sign next to the entrance station as the plane made one of its first passes, loud and very low.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 115mm
The pilot seemed at least as interested in the two people pointing lenses at him as he was in what he was doing.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 160mm
After making a pass he would make a banking turn and then come back and do it again.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 330mm
This shot gives one a pretty good idea of how low and close to the entrance station he was as he passed over the beginning of the causeway road multiple times.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 150mm
Here the plane is coming directly at me from the north.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 340mm
I looked up the N-Numbers on the FAA Registry site and the registered owner of the plane is Wells Fargo Bank Northwest NA Trustee. Here you get a pretty good look at the apparent spray equipment beneath the plane, though once again this airplane did not seem to be actively spraying.
As I drove west on the causeway toward the island the pilot few alongside me over the mudflats in an apparent display of his displeasure at being photographed.
For safety reasons I question how low and close this pilot was flying to the entrance station and a public road. When this occurred there happened to be no other traffic in the immediate vicinity and there were only three people at the entrance station but traffic is often backed up at the entrance as folks wait to pay their entrance fees, the nearby parking lots are often full of vehicles and visitors and the road to the island is busy. On that very morning as I left the island there were two school buses full of kids in the parking lot and vicinity.
Consider the following from the FAA’s own website:
“The risk of crashing an agricultural spray aircraft is very high and accident rates are many time higher than for general aviation. Risks include G-LOC syndrome (loss of consciousness due to high g-forces), tree and wire strikes, spatial disorientation during turns, and low altitude stalls.”
And as a nature photographer I also don’t particularly appreciate the disturbance of the many birds in the area by this very low and loud plane. The vicinity of the entrance station is loaded with birds this time of year and this experience couldn’t have been pleasant for them.
What this pilot did may very well be perfectly legal (or not?). But I don’t have to like it.
Ron
Nesting time….BRILLIANT!!! I just LOVE wildlife and wilderness “management”….
The plane was equipped to spred dry or granuleted product. Not easy to see comming out at a low rate.
Thanks for the info, Andy. Having grown up on a Montana farm I’ve spent a lot of time watching liquid chemicals being sprayed from planes over crops but don’t have much experience with dry product. I’ll bet they would be more difficult to see at a low rate.
The aircraft looks to be set up with a seeding apparatus and not a sprayer, Ron. Which could be used for reseeding or for dispersion of mosquito abatement product. If it was the latter, the pellets are so small you probably would not be able to see them streaming from the duster even at close range. Window of opportunity, wind and weather, dictate when applications can be made.
The reg’s are here.
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e44f798ae3377f2ede1660c62fd243aa&node=14:3.0.1.1.13&rgn=div5#14:3.0.1.1.13.3.3.14 .
I’m sure it was a commercial operator so records must be kept. I would place a call to the Davis county mosquito abatement district. I’d bet he is contracted by them.
Annoying as it was, he probably was within the reg’s parameters.
NR
Thanks for the link, Neil. Complex regs. If he was “within the reg’s paramaters” I’m not particularly happy with how they are written…
Hiss and spit. A mantra which too often falls from my lips.
An appropriate mantra in this case, Elephant’s Child.
And more repeatable than some which also fall from my mouth.
Thank you to those who have provided additional information and advice in your comments. I have notified the FAA of the incident and they can investigate if they see fit. Personally, I hope they do. I’ll report back if there are any developments.
This plane is used for Agricultural and Pest Control:
http://www.planedesire.com/aircraft/desire/N2082J/details.html?menu=3&zps=250
I also found where it may have been used for mosquito control. The pilot was probably doing what he was hired to do.
An interesting link, John. It provides a little more info than the one I used. I doubt they could use a single-seater for pest (coyote) control so it’s my guess that this one is used mostly for spraying.
In Canada the Canadian Aviation Regulations require a pilot to be at least 500′ away from (above or laterally) any person. vessel, vehicle, or structure; or 1000′ over a built-up area or open air assembly of persons, except when landing or taking off at an airport. There are exceptions available for crop spraying and other special-purpose operations. This does not appear to be a built-up area so the 500′ restriction would apply. I believe–but cannot confirm–that FAA regulations are very similar if not the same.
Ag pilots do scout areas they have been contracted to spray so it is conceivable that was the pilot’s mission. Actually seeing the product being applied may be difficult to see in some atmospheric conditions. Flying as low as you observed is the nature of their business. This may or may not have been a contravention of the FARs; only an investigation by the FAA will provide an answer. If you feel strongly about this I suggest you do contact your local FAA with your information & be prepared to provide your name, the marks of the a/c, & if requested, the photos.
FYI, from an ex-regulator.
Very interesting information, Prairie Chicken. Your Canadian regs do seem very similar to ours – which I sort of remember from the last time I reported one of these incidents. I did report to the FAA.
You might report it to the press. Also, this might be a STOL aircraft that can take-off and land on very short runways. Also, you mentioned Wells Fargo. Ask them for an explanation AND send the response to the press if needed. You can be very aggressive with this quite easily.
Thanks, Rich. I’ve reported it to the FAA – that’s as aggressive as I think I’ll get, at least for now.
Can’t you send these pictures to the FAA, or have you already done that? These pictures identify him and the planes owner as well as what he was doing.
To me, he is either breaking the law by flying so low over public areas, e.g. school buses/kids/people, etc., or flying the way he did to harass you, or simply harassing wildlife.
You have the record of this and a date stamp from your camera, someone should be notified.
Man, I’m upset just reading and thinking about what this guy did.
Good Luck!
Dick, I’ve reported incidents like this twice before to the FAA and to my knowledge nothing came of it. I’m leaving to go shooting right now. More later…