Great Bend Post

DENVER–The National Transportation and Safety Board has issued a preliminary report on the plane crash that claimed the life of Barton County Commissioner Don Cates.

The report from NTSB shows the crash that killed Cates was caused after the plane struck a power line. It says the aircraft struck the top wire destroying the aircraft that was spraying a hay field in Pawnee County. An FAA inspector said the power line was a 3-inch-wide static cable.

A witness told the inspector that he had hired Cates to spray for weevils. He saw a puff of smoke when he says the airplane struck a power line that ran east and west along the field.

The accident took place around 1 p.m. April 22, near County Road G and 210 Avenue which is just northwest of Garfield.

Services for the 67-year old Cates were held Saturday in Great Bend.