Air Tractor Inc AT-502B accident near New Rockford, ND
On September 19, 2023, an Air Tractor Inc AT-502B (airplane) was involved in an accident near New Rockford, ND. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 19, 2023
- Place
- New Rockford, ND
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.590°N, 99.120°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230919193099
Official records · CEN23FA412
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 19, 2023, about 1232 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B airplane, N502NB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near New Rockford, North Dakota. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The purpose of the flight was to apply herbicide to a field of sunflowers that were about 5 ft tall. Witnesses reported that the airplane flew underneath power lines while applying the product and observed the top of the vertical stabilizer sheared off by the powerlines before the airplane continued to fly straight ahead westbound. About 0.25 miles west of the powerlines, the airplane made a left-turning dive and subsequently impacted a cornfield (see figure). A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector reported that the pilot struck a power line with an Air Tractor AT-402 airplane the week before the accident flight; however, the previous wire strike did not result in an accident. The loader for the operation reported that before departure for the accident flight, which was the second flight of the day, the airplane was loaded with 120 gallons of Jet A fuel and 473 gallons of herbicide. Figure. Annotated photo of the accident site (wreckage photo by the NTSB and vertical stabilizer section photo by the FAA). PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot’s logbooks were not made available during the investigation. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe airplane’s flight path over the field was generally aligned with a 270° magnetic headi
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from overhead power lines during an aerial application flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to fly under the power lines with a small area of clearance available for the airplane.
More accidents in ND
- Cessna 401A, Feb 24, 1994
- Piper PA-24-250, Oct 22, 1986
- Cessna 441, Nov 18, 2018
- Piper PA 28-140, Jun 9, 2016
- Beech V35B, Jul 31, 1992
Browse: North Dakota · 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.
