Air Tractor 502B accident near Paragould, AR
On June 15, 2021, an Air Tractor 502B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Paragould, AR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 15, 2021
- Place
- Paragould, AR
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 502B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.104°N, 90.715°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210615103270
Official records · CEN21FA270
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 15, 2021, at 1632 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT 502B airplane, N6088K, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Paragould, Arkansas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight. A witness reported that he observed the airplane about one mile away flying directly toward him. It appeared to be straight and level, about treetop height. Without warning, he observed a small puff of white smoke; the airplane immediately nosed down, impacted the ground and a post-crash fire ensued. The witness did not hear any abnormal noises with the airplane or engine, nor did he observe any wildlife in the area. He stated, “everything appeared normal until it wasn’t." A second pilot reported that, on the day of the accident, he was working with the accident pilot from the same grass strip. Throughout the day they dispersed about 28 loads of fertilizer; during which, the accident pilot did not report any anomalies with the airplane. Shortly before the accident, the accident airplane was loaded with full fuel and fertilizer. The accident pilot was actively spraying a field when the second pilot departed the area to refill fertilizer. When the second pilot returned, he observed the airplane burning on the ground about 0.5 miles east of the field it was spraying. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane came to rest upright on the edge of a field; the dirt was moderately hard and mostly dry. The nose of the airplane was embedded into the dirt at about a 45° angle and
Probable cause
An inflight loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain during an aerial application flight for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
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Browse: Arkansas · 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.
