Aviation Crash Map

Air Tractor AT-502 N4516K

22 August 2009 · East Grand Forks, Minnesota, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 22 August 2009 at about 14:07 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N4516K, operated by Agrimax LLC, was involved in an accident near East Grand Forks, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 14:07
Classification
Accident
Location
East Grand Forks, Minnesota, United States
Nearest airport
JJ and T (MN81)
Coordinates
47.9319, -97.0214
Aircraft
Air Tractor AT-502
Registration
N4516K
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Agrimax LLC
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Aerial Observation
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
East Grand Fork → East Grand Fork
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN09CA540

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 1 0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the crops while maneuvering at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was maneuvering at low altitude on an agricultural application flight when the right wing contacted the crops during a turn. He was unable to recover and subsequently impacted the terrain. The airplane was substantially damaged. He noted that he had lost track of the airplane's altitude as he was referencing some charts in an attempt to locate the correct field to be sprayed. He added that there were no failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Air Tractor AT-502 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
3 Oct 2009 Air Tractor AT-502
VH-ODP
Narrogin, Australia, Australia Agricair Pty Limited Fatal 1
29 May 2009 Air Tractor AT-502
N198LA
Mendota, Illinois, United States R & R Flight Service Minor injuries -
16 Dec 2008 Air Tractor AT-502
N1035F
Dinuba, California, United States Gilbert Aviation Industries INC No injuries -
27 Apr 2008 Air Tractor AT-502
N1519U
Waitsburg, Washington, United States - No injuries -
22 Aug 2008 Air Tractor AT-502
N1520X
Satartia, Mississippi, United States Carson Air Service, Inc. Minor injuries -
22 Jul 2011 Air Tractor AT-502
N1516G
Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States Farmers Union Oil Company No injuries -

All 107 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
5 Oct 2009 Temco D-16A
N124N
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States - Serious injuries -
17 Aug 2009 Dunn David RAF 2000 C
N2107
Lakeville, Minnesota, United States Christopher Awe No injuries -
14 Jun 2009 Aviat A1
N190BA
Garrison, Minnesota, United States Allan Dela No injuries -
17 Jun 2009 Cirrus SR22
N214BN
Crystal, Minnesota, United States Steven K. Case Fatal 1
21 Oct 2009 Airbus A320
N374NW
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Northwest Airlines Inc No injuries -
15 Mar 2009 Aeronca 7AC
N1831E
Bagley, Minnesota, United States - No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States