Air Tractor AT-502A accident near Deming, NM
On November 6, 2006, an Air Tractor AT-502A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Deming, NM. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 6, 2006
- Place
- Deming, NM
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.529°N, 107.780°W
- NTSB ID
- 20061107X01621
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 6, 2006, approximately 1130 mountain standard time, an Air Tractor AT-502A, single-engine agricultural airplane, N1541T, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering during an aerial application near Deming, New Mexico. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to Southeastern Aerial Crop Service, Inc., Fort Pierce, Florida, and operated by M and M Air Service, Inc., Beaumont, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight departed a private airstrip near Deming, New Mexico, at 1122. According to the operator and witness information, the pilot was applying dry chemical to a field. After refueling and reloading dry chemical, the pilot departed for the second flight of the day. A rancher, who owned the field the pilot was spraying, was in contact with the pilot via hand-held radio. The pilot and rancher discussed the terrain and application flight paths. The pilot elected to start the application at the top of a ridge and fly downhill. The pilot reported that the downhill pass felt okay, and he was going to make the second pass up slope. The up slope application pass was successful. The rancher then observed the airplane climb to about 500 feet above ground level over a saddle gap between two 6,300 foot ridges, and the airplane began a turn back to the field. Subsequently, the pilot reported over the radio that he was " in a bind and was going
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain. A contributing factor was the low airspeed.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · 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.
