# Accident 20030912022629A: Airtrc AT502B, Farwell, TX, September 12, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 12, 2003, 09:00 local time
- Place: Farwell, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: T3SG
- Location: 34.4308° N, 103.0792° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4308&lon=-103.0792&mi=10
- Aircraft: N61353, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N61353-2006-01-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Air Tractor AT-502B (registry code 0390307, https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-502b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52034, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRTRC AT502B
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A34AG
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 4,591 total, 855 in this make and model, 350 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW03LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA223) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030912022629A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2003, APPROXIMATELY 0900 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502B, N61353, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED BY TATE SPRAYING SERVICE, INC., OF CLOVIS, NEW MEXICO. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH. THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATIONS AND LOST CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE AIRCRAFT FLYING SOUTH BOUND AND THEN PULLED-UP ABRUPTLY INTO A NOSE HIGH, "ALMOST VERTICAL" ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT GAINED A LOT OF ALTITUDE, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO BANK TO THE RIGHT, AND WENT STRAIGHT DOWN, ACCORDING TO WITNESSES. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND CAME TO REST RIGHT SIDE UP IN A FIELD. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR SKIES, LIGHT WINDS, AND BETTER THEN 10 MILES VISIBILITY.

## 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 FTW03LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA223), Sep 12, 2003: Air Tractor AT-502B (N61353), Farwell, TX, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

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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