- Date
- May 14, 2003, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Benkelman, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5192TAir Tractor AT-602
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA- Lincoln FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030514013159A
- Case key
- 56998
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 altitude clearance while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the wheat crop and the ground.
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 airplane impacted terrain while maneuvering. The pilot reported the right boom contacted the wheat crop during an aerial application pass.
Factual narrative
On May 14, 2003, about 1630 mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, N5192T, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aerial application flight near Benkelman, Nebraska. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot was uninjured. The local flight originated from the Jones Airport, Benkelman Nebraska about 1610.
The pilot stated the right spray boom of the airplane contacted a wheat crop during an aerial application pass. The airplane subsequently impacted the terrain.
The pilot reported no failures or malfunctions with respect to the airplane or its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5192T
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 602-0527
- Airframe hours
- 2,050
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6-60AG, 1,050 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Frost Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2003 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- 42V · Benkelman, NE
- Airport
- 42V · Jones Airport
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 2, 2003
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 10,500 total · 900 in this make and model · 10,400 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- IML, 27 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.
Other investigations on N5192T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.