- Date
- September 7, 2019, 19:30 local (Sep 8, 2019, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Turkey, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N602SSAir Tractor AT 602
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190907014609A
- Case key
- 100227
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 adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a low pass, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Findings · 4
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 he was conducting a low-altitude application flight for a gender reveal celebration with one passenger onboard the single-seat airplane. While maneuvering, he dumped about 350 gallons of pink water. The airplane got too slow, aerodynamically stalled, impacted terrain, and then came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported, that while maneuvering at a low altitude in an aerial applicator airplane, he dumped about 350 gallons of pink water for a gender reveal. The airplane "got too slow", aerodynamically stalled, impacted terrain, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the accident occurred during a low pass for a gender reveal celebration. He added that there were two persons on board the single seat airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N602SS
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT 602 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 602-1222
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- P&W Canda PT6A-65AG, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Horan Spraying Llc
- Registered owner
- Horan Spraying Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Equipment
- None
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 17, 2019
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- KCDS, 30 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 7, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 871 KB 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.