# Accident 20161027017229A: Air Tractor Inc AT-502B, Hereford, TX, October 27, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 27, 2016, 12:35 local time
- Place: Hereford, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: VDKG
- Location: 34.7875° N, 102.3881° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7875&lon=-102.3881&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8525G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8525G-2018-09-13) (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: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502B
- Reported engine: P&W PT6A SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 38,000 total, 3,500 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN17LA027](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA027) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20161027017229A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 27, 2016, AT 1235 CDT, THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL SPRAYING ON A COTTON FIELD APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE SOUTH OF HEREFORD, TEXAS.  THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS MAKING A FINISHING PASS TOWARDS THE EAST AND AS HE BANKED TO RIGHT, THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED THE COTTON CROP.  THE WING STRUCK THE COTTON FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET THEN LIFTED OUT OF THE CROP MOMENTARILY AND APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS LATER, THE RIGHT WING STRUCK THE GROUND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO CART-WHEEL.  THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST FACING 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF INTENDED FLIGHT AND ABOUT 150 YARDS FROM THE INITIAL WING CONTACT WITH COTTON.

## 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 CEN17LA027](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17LA027), Oct 27, 2016: Air Tractor AT 502B (N8525G), Hereford, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a cotton crop while maneuvering during agricultural application operations, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

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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