- Date
- February 5, 1993, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- South Mills, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N36521Air Tractor AT-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930205003339A
- Case key
- 8727
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from trees during an aerial application maneuver. Factors were the trees adjacent to the wheat field, and the soft terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was spraying herbicides on a wheat field. At the end of a spray pass, the aircraft collided with the tops of some pine trees. The pilot landed the aircraft in an open field, and it nosed over in soft mud. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the aircraft during the accident flight, that the accident was his own mistake. The investigation revealed that the aircraft had not been inspected in over 4 years, the pilot had not completed a biennial flight review in over 6 years, and the pilot had not received an FAA medical certificate in over 3 years.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N36521
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 400-0246
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-15AG, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Hudson Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Hudson Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1988
- Departed
- NONE · Elizabeth City, NC
- Destination
- NONE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 3,900 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ECG, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.