20160606006349A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-502 · Ropesville, TX · June 6, 2016

Date: June 6, 2016 · 13:15 local
Place: Ropesville, TX
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: 4TCG
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N10325
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN16LA208
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-502
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 400 total77 in this make and model77 in the last 90 days

N10325Registration cancelled Sep 27, 2018 · Air Tractor AT-502S/N 502-0078 · Built 1990 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-502 Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60ATurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On June 6, 2016, at approximately 1316 CDT, pilot was on turn around and setting up a return pass. The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in a stall during the turn and the aircraft crashed. The aircraft hit terrain at a steep angle and was destroyed,the pilot was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital.

As the FAA filed it

ON JUNE 6, 2016, AT APPROXIMATELY 1316 CDT, PILOT WAS ON TURN AROUND AND SETTING UP A RETURN PASS. THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL DURING THE TURN AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT HIT TERRAIN AT A STEEP ANGLE AND WAS DESTROYED,THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN16LA208Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportRopesville, TXThe pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall while maneuvering.Jun 6, 2016 · Destroyed