# NTSB DFW05LA179: Air Tractor AT-502B, N9086V, Hickory Ridge, AR, July 12, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 12, 2005, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC) - Place: Hickory Ridge, AR - Coordinates: 35.366664, -90.949996 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3667&lon=-90.9500&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report April 25, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61947 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05LA179 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61947/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=61947 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05LA179 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain during aerial application. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, maneuvering - aerial application - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The 1,600-hour commercial pilot was maneuvering during an aerial application flight when the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright in a rice field. The first ground scar was a wheel impact mark located on a field road approximately 40 yards east of where the airplane came to rest. There were no reported witnesses to the accident. Despite repeated attempts by the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC), the operator/pilot did not return a completed Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form (NTSB Form 6120.1/2). ## Factual narrative On July 12, 2005, about 1700 central daylight time, a single-engine Air Tractor AT-502B agricultural airplane, N9086V, was substantially damaged upon collision with terrain while maneuvering at low altitude near Hickory Ridge, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to, and operated by Brunette Flying Service of Hickory Ridge, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight departed a private strip near Hickory Ridge, Arkansas, at an unknown time. A law enforcement deputy, who responded to the accident site, reported that it appeared as if the pilot was flying in a northwesterly direction during an aerial application flight when the left main landing gear impacted a perpendicular positioned field road. The airplane subsequently impacted into a rice field and slid for approximately 100 feet before coming to rest. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-scene examination of the wreckage. The inspector reported that the turbine powered airplane came to rest upright in a rice field on an easterly heading. All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site and there was no evidence of a fire. The first ground scar was a wheel impact mark located on a road approximately 40 yards east of where the airplane came to rest. The inspector further reported that both wings and the fuselage sustained structural damage. The pilot reported on his most recent medical application that he had accumulated a total time of 1,600 hours with 400 hours logged in the last 6 months. There were no reported witnesses to the accident. Despite repeated attempts by the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC), the operator/pilot did not return a completed Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form (NTSB Form 6120.1/2). ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9086V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9086V-2017-04-04), registration cancelled 2017-04-04, S/N 502B-0612, built 2000 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Air Tractor AT-502B - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-502B](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-502b) (registry code 0390307) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PT6A series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (registry code 52034, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 502B-0612 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PT6A 680 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Burnette Flying Service - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Departed: Hickory Ridge, AR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; seat: single; flight hours: 1,600 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft broken - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: JBR, 31 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 20050712015709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050712015709A), Jul 12, 2005: Airtrc AT502B, Hickory Ridge, AR, Substantial damage. (-23) 07/12/2005, Approx 17:00 CDT, N9086V an AT-502B was substantially damaged following loss of control during maneuvering at low altitude near Hickory… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 31, 2006, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=61947. 56 KB in all. - Reports from Local Agencies (item 1, .PDF, 56 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40255382&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Reports%20from%20Local%20Agencies-Redacted.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.