Air Tractor Inc. AT-802A accident near Portland, AR
On July 26, 2022, an Air Tractor Inc. AT-802A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Portland, AR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 26, 2022
- Place
- Portland, AR
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc. AT-802A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.227°N, 91.471°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220727105589
Official records · ERA22FA338
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 26, 2022, about 1701 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-802A airplane, N749LA, and an Air Tractor AT-802 airplane, N214RL, were involved in an accident near Portland, Arkansas. The AT-802A was destroyed and the AT-802 was substantially damaged. The pilot of the AT-802A was fatally injured and the pilot of the AT-802 was seriously injured. Both aircraft were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flights. According to a witness who was familiar with both airplanes and pilots, the AT-802 was transiting the area at low altitude in a southeasterly direction. The area consisted mainly of mature soybean and cotton fields. Concurrently, the AT-802A pilot was applying chemical to a soybean field in a southerly direction. The pilot of the AT-802A pitched up at the end of his application run and collided with the AT-802 as it was flying overhead. The AT-802A continued to the northeast for about ¼ mile and crashed in a soybean field. The AT-802 began to spin vertically downward and impacted a cotton field underneath the point of collision. First responders extricated the pilot of the AT-802 and extinguished a postaccident fire in the engine compartment. He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. The pilot of the AT-802 was interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge after the accident and the pilot reported that he had finished spraying soybeans on a friend’s farm and was ferrying the airplane back to his home airstrip. He was on a southeasterly heading and
Probable cause
The failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other airplane during aerial application and ferry operations.
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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.
