Air Tractor Inc AT-802A accident near Estes Park, CO
On November 17, 2021, an Air Tractor Inc AT-802A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Estes Park, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 17, 2021
- Place
- Estes Park, CO
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-802A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.335°N, 105.477°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211117104254
Official records · CEN22FA035
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 16, 2021, about 1836 mountain standard time, an Air Tractor Inc. AT-802A, N802NZ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Estes Park, Colorado. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial firefighting flight. The purpose of the flight was to drop chemical retardant on the Kruger Rock fire in mountainous terrain. The pilot was using night vision goggles during the flight. Video footage of the airplane showed the airplane’s wings rocking as it approached the intended drop location. Two witnesses stated that they saw the airplane roll inverted but did not see it descend into terrain. One of the witnesses, who was in radio communication with the pilot, stated that he did not hear the pilot report any problems with the airplane nor make any distress calls before the accident. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe National Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart valid for 1700 depicted a low-pressure system over Nebraska with a cold front extending southwestward across northern Colorado to another low-pressure system along a frontal wave over northeastern Utah. A high-pressure system was located over southwestern Colorado with a mesoscale ridge extending northeastward over the general vicinity of the accident site. The accident site was located immediately south of the cold front in an area with a strong pressure gradient. The station models immediately surrounding the accident site depicted west winds at 20 to 40 knots, clear to scattered clouds, and temper
Probable cause
The airplane’s encounter with severe to extreme turbulence associated with mountain wave rotor cloud activity, which resulted in loss of airplane control.
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Browse: Colorado · 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.
