# NTSB DFW05CA098: Air Tractor AT-602, N9017Z, Crosbyton, TX, March 18, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: March 18, 2005, 15:20 local (21:20 UTC) - Place: Crosbyton, TX - Coordinates: 33.620277, -101.245834 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6203&lon=-101.2458&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61251 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05CA098 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61251/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=61251 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05CA098 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to mantain directional control during take-off. A contributing factor was the dust devil. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - dust devil/whirlwind (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, takeoff - aborted - terrain condition - rough/uneven ## Analysis The pilot lost directional control of the tail wheel equipped airplane during takeoff roll after encountering a dust devil soon after the tail came up. The pilot estimated that the winds were from the west-northwest at 5 to 7 knots prior to his attempted takeoff from the 3,600-foot long by 60-foot wide asphalt runway. The airplane was loaded with 400 gallons of water. ## Factual narrative On March 18, 2005, at 1520 central standard time, an Air Tractor AT-602 single-engine tailwheel equipped agricultural airplane, N9017Z, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during takeoff from Crosbyton Municipal Airport, near Crosbyton, Texas (8F3). The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by McAdoo Flying Service, Inc., Crosbyton, Texas, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight. According to a written statement submitted by the 20,000-hour commercial pilot, the turbine powered airplane, loaded with 400 gallons of water, encountered a "dust devil" during the takeoff roll. The aircraft veered to the left, and departed the 3,600-foot x 60-foot asphalt runway. The airplane was substantially damaged when it entered a plowed field and ground looped. An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who traveled to the accident site, revealed structural damage to the outboard section of the right wing. The aileron, empennage, and rudder were also damaged. At 1553, the automated weather observing system at LBB, 29 miles west of the accident site, reported wind variable at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 9,000 feet, broken clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.77 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9017Z](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9017Z-2006-06-29), registration cancelled 2006-06-29, S/N 602-0546, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Air Tractor AT-602 - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-602](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-602) (registry code 0390309) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-66-series) (registry code 52118, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 0546 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PT6 turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: McAdoo Flying Service, Inc - Registered owner: McAdoo Flying Service, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Departed: 8F3, CROSBYTON, TX - Airport: 8F3, Dummy, runway 35 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2; flight hours: 20,000 total, 2,300 in this make and model, 90 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 30 °F ## 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 20050318003089A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050318003089A), Mar 18, 2005: Airtrc AT602, Crosbyton, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) On March 18, 2005, at approximately 1520 CST, an air tractor AT-602 aircraft, N9017Z, experienced loss of rudder control during takeoff at Crosbyton… ## Other investigations on N9017Z (1) 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. - [NTSB DFW05LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05LA126), May 19, 2005: Air Tractor AT-602 (N9017Z), Ralls, TX, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the antenna tower. Contributing factors were the recency of the tower's construction and the lack of obstruction lights on the tower. ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 6, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=61251. 773 KB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 8 pages, 648 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19740845&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot-Operator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report%20NTSB%20Form%2061201%20-%20DFW05CA098_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Weather report (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 29 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19741407&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master-Rel-Rel.pdf - Maintenance records excerpts (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 97 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19741478&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Maintenance%20Records%20Excerpt%20-%20N9017Z_Redacted-Rel.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.