# NTSB ANC26FA054: Air Tractor AT-502B, N503GK, Forbes, MO, June 16, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report
- Date: June 15, 2026, 20:15 local (Jun 16, 2026, 01:15 UTC)
- Place: Forbes, MO · In wooded area only access is ATV up to 75 years then by foot.  Need mud boots.
- Coordinates: 39.87996, -95.05281
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8800&lon=-95.0528&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Unknown](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/990) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Unknown: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office
- Parties: Air Tractor, FAA
- NTSB case key (mKey): 203188
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC26FA054
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203188/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC26FA054

## Preliminary report

On June 15, 2026, about 2015 Central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B airplane, N503GK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Forbes, Missouri. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 Agricultural flight. According to the operator, the airplane was working off a remote grass airstrip 15 miles northwest of Rosecrans Airport (KSTJ) starting at 1730. The purpose of the flight was to apply urea and ammonia sulfate to a corn field. The pilot was working 5 miles southeast of the grass airstrip. There were two company airplanes working in the area. Each airplane was equipped with a Mode C transponder and automatic dependent surveillance- broadcast (ADS-B). They maintained two-way communication between the two airplanes and the ground crew. There was no distress calls made on the radio or any indication of a mechanical problem with the accident airplane, and there were no witnesses to the accident. The airplane wreckage was subsequently found nose down, in an area of tree-covered terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage and empennage. A detailed wreckage examination is pending.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Unknown: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-502B, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=0390307), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N503GK](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N503GK), registered now, S/N 502B-2950, built 2014 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502B
- Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-502B](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-502b) (registry code 0390307) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-34ag) (registry code 52251, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 502B-2950
- Year built: 2014
- Airframe hours: 4110.6
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Aerial application, Part 137
- Operator: Kurtz Aviation LLC
- Registered owner: Kurtz Rural Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection: Annual, April 28, 2026, 61 hours before
- Flight plan: Company VFR
- Equipment: ADS-B, Onboard weather, Stall warning system

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk
- Wind: 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observed at: KSTJ, 9 nm away
- METAR: METAR KSTJ 151653Z 27007KT 230V290 10SM CLR 25/07 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP170 T02500067

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20260615013429A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260615013429A), Jun 15, 2026: Air Tractor Inc AT-502B, Forbes, MO, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Arrived on scene in holt co. Missouri and found aircraft N503GK"s nose section embedded in soft soil at approximately 45 degree angle and inverted. Aircraft…

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.

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