Air Tractor Inc AT-402B accident near Kinston, NC
On June 18, 2021, an Air Tractor Inc AT-402B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kinston, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 18, 2021
- Place
- Kinston, NC
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-402B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.231°N, 77.636°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210618103286
Official records · ERA21FA257
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 17, 2021, at 2022 eastern daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-402B airplane, N402SJ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in Kinston, North Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a positioning flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a friend of the pilot, he spoke with her via mobile telephone for most of the flight. She reported that the total call time was 7 minutes long and that the pilot was using a Bluetooth device. During the call, the pilot told her that he had just finished a full day of agriculture spraying and was departing Mount Olive Airport (W40), Mount Olive, North Carolina to return to his home airstrip in Dover, North Carolina. The pilot added that he was going to perform a “flyover at the [Kinston] drag strip.” She heard the takeoff and about 3-4 minutes before the end of the call, the pilot described having an issue with a “light on the wing.” She asked him if that was a “bad thing” and the pilot stated, “no I don’t have to turn that on.” About this time, she heard the engine noise increased and became “higher in pitch.” About 10 seconds before the end of the call, she reported the pilot stated, “I’m dead” to which she responded with, “huh?” and the pilot repeated “I’m dead.” Immediately following this second comment from the pilot, she heard an impact and the call ended. She reported that the engine noise was constant until the call ended at 2022. According to the owner of the Kinston Drag Strip, several hundred people
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to conduct low-level aerobatic maneuvers in an airplane not approved for aerobatic flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin, a loss of control, and an impact with terrain.
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
