Air Tractor Inc AT-402B accident near Clara City, MN
On July 25, 2023, an Air Tractor Inc AT-402B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Clara City, MN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 25, 2023
- Place
- Clara City, MN
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-402B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.037°N, 95.408°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230726192715
Official records · CEN23LA324
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 25, 2023, about 0711 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-402B airplane, N291DL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Clara City, Minnesota. The pilot initially survived the accident but later died from his injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural application flight. According to GPS position data recovered from an onboard tracking device, the pilot departed from a private airstrip about 0619. He flew about 3 miles north and completed multiple application passes to a corn field in an east-west pattern. The pilot then made a pass from north to south on the western side of the field near structures, consistent with a clean-up pass. The airplane then made a left turn back toward the field. The final data point was recorded at 0711. At that time, the airplane was about 0.5 mile south of the field, at an altitude of 1,323 ft mean sea level (msl). The accident site was northwest of the last recorded data point, at an elevation of about 1,060 ft msl. The airplane came to rest upright on a northwest heading, about 350 ft north of a set of power lines. The upper portion of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder were separated from the airplane and located in the vicinity of the power lines. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe set of power lines was oriented east-west along the south side of a road. The set consisted of three transmission lines and one static line. The airplane struck the lower of the three lines and appeared to have severed each of the conductors. The
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a transmission line during an aerial application flight.
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Browse: Minnesota · 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.
