Capt Rex,,
Please read this:
As flyer69 said, I hope none of you preaching the downwind turn being no different are instructors and I hope any prospective pilots reading this don't get it into their heads thinking this.
It might not be relevant to the tragedy in question but there is a reason we try to get as much out of the hopper as possible and make the first turn into wind before having to turn downwind. I reinforced the point to myself after spending 6 weeks in a wheelchair following a downwind turn in which ambition exceeded ability. If you haven't flown a heavy ag plane then you don't know what you don't know.