The company hired to do aerial spraying in 11 Dallas County cities has a good safety record, except for one fatal crash that was blamed on the pilot, according to a review of federal safety records.
A twin-engine turboprop owned by Dynamic Aviation Group crashed in Tampa, Fla., on June 12, 2006.
The National Transportation Safety Board listed the probable cause as pilot error but said a mechanical failure contributed to the crash.
The Beach King Air 90 developed a problem with its propellers, and the pilot made an emergency landing at Peter O. Knight Airport. The pilot mistakenly came down on a taxiway, slid through a fence and into a house.
The turboprop burst into flames, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the first officer.
The NTSB blamed the captain for "poor in-flight planning" and also said he "failed to establish the airplane on a stabilized approach."
Investigators also found that a technical failure involving the propellers and "excessive approach airspeed" were contributing factors.
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Mike Stuart, chief operating officer of Dynamic Aviation Group, said the Bridgewater, Va., company has an excellent safety record overall.
"We take aviation very seriously and every aspect of aviation," he said.
The company has been in business 70 years, operates 80 aircraft around the world, and its pilots are specially trained, Stuart said.
The plane that crashed was battling fruit flies -- not mosquitoes.
"That particular accident was in a different part of our company and it was related to a completely different set of events," he said. "We have never had an incident in this particular part of our company."
Stuart said the planes will fly about 175 mph about 300 feet off the ground. The pilots will wear night-vision goggles.
