- Date
- June 20, 2021, 13:37 local (17:37 UTC)
- Place
- Edwardsburg, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8523ZAir Tractor AT-502B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration; GRR FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210620007959A
- Case key
- 103306
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 identify rising terrain and to maintain terrain clearance from trees during an aerial application pass that resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while conducting an aerial application pass over a field, the airplane stuck trees and subsequently impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that the field had rising terrain toward its southern edge and as the airplane approached the southern edge, the airplane was unable to climb above the rising terrain. It is likely the pilot failed to identify the rising terrain in time to clear the trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8523Z
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502B-2577
- Built
- 2005
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG, 750 hp, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Lutes Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Lutes Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2021 · 5,774 hours before
- Departed
- EKM · Elkhart, IN
- Destination
- EKM · Elkhart, IN
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 66
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 19, 2021
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 27,100 total · 950 in this make and model · 18,400 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Observed at
- EKM, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 16, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.