# NTSB CEN10FA310: Air Tractor AT602, N4184P, Knobel, AR, June 7, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: June 7, 2010, 18:20 local (23:20 UTC) - Place: Knobel, AR - Coordinates: 36.319168, -90.604164 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3192&lon=-90.6042&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report May 21, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Air Tractor, Baylee Company, Federal Aviation Adminstration - NTSB case key (mKey): 76272 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN10FA310 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76272/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76272 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10FA310 ## Probable cause The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at low altitude. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-602, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=0390309), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-602, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=0390309), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-602, 16 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=0390309), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-602, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md?model=0390309), [All aircraft, 780 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md) ## Analysis The airplane had departed on an aerial application flight to apply fertilizer to a nearby rice field. A witness said the airplane made a pass over the field and pitched up to reverse direction for another pass. The airplane then descended and disappeared behind a row of trees. The witness did not see the airplane impact but did hear it hit the ground. A postcrash examination of the airplane at the accident scene indicated that the airplane descended and struck the ground in a near vertical attitude. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies indicative of any systems problems prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 7, 2010, about 1820 Central Daylight Time, an Air Tractor, Incorporated AT-602, N4184P, registered to Baylee Company, Incorporated, and operated by Standridge Flying Service, Incorporated, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain east of Clay County Road 250 near Knobel, Arkansas. The commercial rated pilot, the only person on board the airplane sustained fatal injuries. The local aerial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight departed Corning, Arkansas about 1745. The airplane’s owner said the purpose of the flight was to spray fertilizer on a rice field near Corning. The pilot took off with a full load of fertilizer and did not return. The airplane was located at the west end of the rice field he was fertilizing. A witness who saw the airplane said it had made a pass over the field and pitched up to reverse direction for another pass. The witness said the airplane then descended and disappeared behind a row of trees. The witness said he did not see the airplane impact, but did hear it hit the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate with a single engine land airplane rating. The operator reported the pilot as having 4,200 hours total flying time and 525 hours in the AT-602. The operator reported the pilot had flown about 300 hours in the previous 90 days and 10 hours in the 24 hours prior to the accident. The operator reported the pilot having successfully completed a flight review in the spring of 2010. The operator also reported the pilot as having a current Second Class medical certificate with no limitations or waivers, dated March 3, 2010. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was a 2009 Air Tractor, Incorporated, Model AT-602, serial number 602-1190. The airplane was powered by a Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6-60AG engine rated at 1,050 horsepower. The operator reported the airplane underwent an annual inspection on May 29, 2010. The total airframe time at the annual inspection was 196.1 hours. The operator reported that the airplane had flown an additional 86.3 hours after the inspection to the time of the accident. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane’s main wreckage was located in an open rice field 2.7 miles northeast of Knobel, Arkansas. The accident site consisted of the airplane’s main wreckage and a debris field that extended approximately 70 feet in front of the airplane. The airplane’s fuselage was oriented on about a 045 degree heading. The main wreckage consisted of the engine and propeller, chemical tank, cockpit, fuselage, left and right wings, main landing gear, and empennage. The debris field consisted of the airplane’s upper cowling, pieces of clear Plexiglas from the airplane’s windshield and windows, parts of the glareshield, engine components, propeller blades, and pilotpersonal items. The accident site began with a seven foot long, four foot wide, and 3 foot deep impact crater in the ground. The airplane’s propeller, engine, bottom cowling, and main landing gear struts were located in the crater. The angle of a propeller blade strike in the ground at the crater and the nearly vertical orientation of the engine suggested that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical descent. The airplane’s engine was broken downward at the mounts and firewall. The airplanes propeller was buried in the bottom of the impact crater. Four of the five propeller blades had broken off at the hub. All of the propeller blades showed torsional bending, chordwise scratches and leading edge nicks. The airplane’s chemical tank was displaced aft and broken open. The cockpit area was broken open. The cockpit windows were broken out. The pilot seat, instrument panel, glareshield and cockpit floor were broken aft and downward. Both of the main landing gears were broken aft. Both of the airplane’s wings remained attached to the fuselage, but were crushed and buckled aft along their entire span. The fuselage aft of the cockpit was bent and buckled. The airplane’s vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the elevators, and rudder were also bent and buckled. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane’s engine was retained for further examination. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION An autopsy was conducted by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner on June 9, 2010. The medical examiner concluded that the pilot died from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash. Results of toxicology testing of samples taken were negative for all tests conducted. SURVIVAL ASPECTS The airplane was equipped with a five-point restraint system with shoulder-mounted airbags. The airplane’s cockpit also was equipped with headliners. A detailed examination of the airplane’s cockpit showed that seat and restraint mountings behind the cockpit and in the floor broke forward and downward consistent with the near vertical impact of the airplane with terrain. The seat pan was crushed downward impacting the forward elevator push/pull tube, and the elevator pedals and floor of the cockpit were pushed upward in line with the seat pan. The failures observed noting from previous experience with similar accidents deemed the accident generally not survivable. TESTS AND RESEARCH The airplane’s engine was examined at Clinton, Arkansas on July 8, 2010. The examination did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4184P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4184P-2013-04-22), registration cancelled 2013-04-22, S/N 602-1190, built 2010 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR AT602 - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-602](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-602) (registry code 0390309) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60AG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-60ag) (registry code 52101, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Airframe hours: 282 - Engines: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-60AG 1050 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Baylee Company Inc - Registered owner: Baylee Company Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 29, 2010, 86 hours before - Departed: 4M9, Corning, AR - Destination: 4M9, Corning, AR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; seat: single; toxicology performed; flight hours: 4,200 total, 525 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 210° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: ARG, 25 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100607035509A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100607035509A), Jun 7, 2010: Air Tractor AT-602, Knobel, AR, Destroyed, 1 fatal. On June 7, 2010, at approximately 1820 hours CST, an Air Tractor AT602 impacted the ground after performing an aerial application maneuver. Visual… ## Docket (11 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 25, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76272. 2.2 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 339 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366367&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Police Report (item 2, .PDF, 148 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366387&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Police%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation, Air Tractor (item 3, .PDF, 100 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366391&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation,%20Air%20Tractor-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation, Operator Baylee (item 4, .PDF, 99 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366394&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation,%20Operator%20Baylee-Redacted.PDF - Retention / Release of Wreckage Form (item 5, .PDF, 47 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366396&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Retention%20%2F%20Release%20of%20Wreckage%20Form-Redacted.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 6, .PDF, 110 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366369&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Photo 1 Accident Scene (item 7, .PDF, 170 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366399&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20Accident%20Scene-Master.PDF - Photo 2, Airplane Main Wreckage (item 8, .PDF, 153 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366405&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202,%20Airplane%20Main%20Wreckage-Master.PDF - Photo 4, Airplane and Impact Crater (item 9, .PDF, 212 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366406&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204,%20Airplane%20and%20Impact%20Crater-Master.PDF - Photo 4, Propeller Hub and Blades (item 10, .PDF, 401 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366408&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204,%20Propeller%20Hub%20and%20Blades-Master.PDF - Photo 5, Engine Compressor Turbine and Shroud (item 11, .PDF, 389 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40366409&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205,%20Engine%20Compressor%20Turbine%20and%20Shroud-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.