Air Tractor AT502 accident near Philipp, MS
On August 16, 2017, an Air Tractor AT502 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Philipp, MS. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 16, 2017
- Place
- Philipp, MS
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT502 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.757°N, 90.259°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170816X21337
Official records · ERA17FA279
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 16, 2017, at 0613 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B, N6082B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Philipp, Mississippi. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. A Hemisphere GPS MD M3 Bantam unit was recovered from the wreckage and data were successfully downloaded and plotted. Review of the data for the approximate 2-minute flight revealed that the airplane flew southeast at GPS altitudes between 250 to 350 ft. The last recorded data point was at 0613:10, indicating a GPS altitude of 315 ft and a groundspeed of 123 knots; the point was just before a tree line. According to the operator, the airplane was supposed to spray a cornfield located about 5 miles southeast of the airstrip. When the airplane did not return, a search was initiated, and the wreckage was located in wooded terrain about 3 miles southeast of the airstrip at 0930 (about 1/2 mile south of the last data point). The operator added that the clouds were low at the time of departure but that the forward visibility was good. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot's logbook was not recovered. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThere was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing from flight service. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONAn approximate 50-ft debris path was observed oriented about a magnetic course of 130°. The debris path began with freshly cut tree branches at a descending angle and ended with the main wreckage, which was also oriented about 130° mag
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to attempt a visual flight rules flight in instrument meteorological conditions, below a low overcast ceiling, which resulted in controlled flight into 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.
