Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Petronila, TX
On June 26, 1993, an Air Tractor AT-502 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Petronila, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 26, 1993
- Place
- Petronila, TX
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 27.791°N, 97.659°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X12607
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT: On June 26, 1993, at 1420 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502, N1504Q, maneuvering near Petronila, Texas, was destroyed when it impacted the terrain. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area for the local aerial application flight. During interviews, conducted by the investigator in charge with witnesses and the operator, it was revealed that the pilot started working at 0730 and had flown five to six hours by 1400. For this run, the airplane was serviced with 125 gallons of fuel and the hopper carried 130 gallons of liquid composed of cottonseed oil mixed with Guthion in a 3:1 ratio. The airplane had departed the private airstrip at 1400 to spray 261.9 acres of cotton. The airplane was observed during several swath runs and turn around maneuvers as it was making steeper turns and climbing higher with each turn around. At 300 feet above the ground, the airplane was observed rolling to an inverted position. The witness stated that the pilot started to pull the airplane out of the maneuver but did not have enough altitude and the airplane impacted in wooded terrain on the edge of a lake. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION: The airplane came to rest on a measured magnetic heading of 045 degrees and was intact except for several pieces of the windshield, engine cowling, and hopper cowling, which were 35 feet forward of the main wreckage. One propeller blade, dug from the mud, was separated from the propeller shaft. Blades attached to the hub were bent and twisted with the tip of one bl
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHILE MANEUVERING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: HIS LACK OF ALTITUDE FOR RECOVERY FROM THE STALL.
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Browse: Texas · Air Tractor aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
