# Accident 20171024014969A: Air Tractor Inc AT-502B, Olton, TX, October 24, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 24, 2017, 08:20 local time
- Place: Olton, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: K3AG
- Location: 34.1886° N, 102.2358° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.1886&lon=-102.2358&mi=10
- Aircraft: N502G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N502G-2018-04-23) (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: Commercial pilot, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,680 total, 302 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN18LA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA019) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171024014969A

## Narrative

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

OCTOBER 24, 2017, APPROXIMATELY 0820 LOCAL TIME, N502G, AN AIR TRACTOR AT-502B AIRPLANE IMPACTED INTO A FIELD ABOUT FIVE MILES WEST OF OLTON, TEXAS.  THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY A POST IMPACT FIRE.  AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED UNDER PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR, PART 137 AS AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT.

VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM FAIRVIEW FIELD AIRPORT (XA05), SUDAN, TEXAS.

THE AIRPLANE'S OWNER STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING USED BY ANOTHER OPERATOR WHO WAS THE PILOT'S EMPLOYER.

SEVERAL WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING NORTH OVER HIGHWAY 70 AND MADE A LEFT TURN TOWARDS WEST.  DURING THE LEFT TURN, THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED, IMPACTED INTO THE FIELD AND BURST INTO FLAMES.

THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST FACING SOUTH AND WAS MOSTLY CONSUMED BY POST IMPACT FIRE.  THE ENGINE WAS BURIED IN

THE MUD WITH ONLY ONE PROPELLER BLADE VISIBLE.

## 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 CEN18LA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA019), Oct 24, 2017: Air Tractor AT 502B (N502G), Olton, TX, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering during the aerial application flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too…

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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