Air Tractor AT-503A N503D

Summary

On 5 May 2003 at about 19:14 local time, a Air Tractor AT-503A registered N503D was involved in an accident near Pontiac, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 May 2003 at 19:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Pontiac, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Pontiac Municipal (PNT)

Coordinates

40.9283, -88.6314

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-503A

Registration

N503D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pontiac → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI03LA118

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor associated with the accident was the low altitude maneuver.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with the terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering during a training flight. The purpose of the flight was for one certified flight instructor (CFI) to give another CFI a checkout in a turboprop airplane. One witness described the airplane flying swath runs prior to making a wing over type maneuver and entering a spin. Several other witnesses describe the airplane being in a slight nose down spin prior to it impacting the ground. Inspection of the airplane failed to reveal any pre-existing failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.