Air Tractor Inc AT 602 accident near Minter City, MS
On March 19, 2017, an Air Tractor Inc AT 602 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Minter City, MS. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 19, 2017
- Place
- Minter City, MS
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT 602 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.772°N, 90.381°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170320X15836
Official records · ERA17FA131
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 19, 2017, about 1600 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, N2049D,collided with trees and terrain near Minter City, Mississippi. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire. The airplane was owned and was being operated by Sturdivant Brothers Flying Service, Inc., as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated about 30 minutes earlier from the company airstrip in Glendora, Mississippi. The pilot departed the airstrip with each wing fuel tank filled to about 3/4 capacity and the hopper containing 375 gallons of mixed water and chemicals. After takeoff, the pilot proceeded toward the intended spray field. Although there were no eyewitnesses to the accident, an individual familiar with aerial application operations who lived adjacent to the intended application field reported hearing an airplane fly over his house. He noted that the airplane sounded fine at that time, but about 10 to 15 seconds later, he heard a "pop" sound followed by an explosion. He went outside, noted the fire, and a friend called 911. He then drove to the site and noted damage to trees and parts of the airplane were found away from the main wreckage. The fire department arrived about 20 minutes later and extinguished the fire, which at that time was mostly confined to the cockpit area. Inspection of the intended spray field revealed evidence
Probable cause
The pilot's incapacitation for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in collision with trees and terrain.
More accidents in MS
- Beech A36TC, May 16, 2016
- Cessna 336, Sep 15, 2004
- Piper PA-24-180, May 8, 1999
- Mooney M20C, Jul 30, 2005
- Beech A36, Dec 3, 1983
Browse: Mississippi · 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.
