# Accident 20030505008159A: Airtrc AT503A, Pontiac, IL, May 5, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 5, 2003, 14:14 local time
- Place: Pontiac, IL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Practice Training Manuevers
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: P7YG
- Location: 40.9283° N, 88.6314° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9283&lon=-88.6314&mi=10
- Aircraft: N503D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N503D-2005-05-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-503A (registry code 0390304, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-503a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT503A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 7,800 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI03LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA118) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030505008159A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON MAY 05, 2003, AT APPROXIMATELY 1414 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-503A, N503D, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING DURING A TRAINING FLIGHT NEAR PONTIAC, IL. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND COMMERCIAL RATED STUDENT PILOT BOTH RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED PONTIAC MUNICIPAL AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI03LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA118), May 5, 2003: Air Tractor AT-503A (N503D), Pontiac, IL, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor associated with the accident was the low altitude maneuver.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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