Air Tractor AT-602 N91331

Summary

On 1 July 2014 at about 22:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N91331, operated by Shannon Agricultural Flying Inc, was involved in an accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 2014 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

34.1058, -90.5711

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-602

Registration

N91331

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Shannon Agricultural Flying Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clarksdale → Clarksdale

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14FA322

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a low-level, high angle-of-bank turn, which resulted in an exceedance of the critical angle of attack and a subsequent accelerated stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an aerial application flight, the pilot initiated a low-level right turn to reverse course. A witness saw the airplane's bank angle increase to vertical, and the airplane subsequently descended into the ground. Examination of the accident site indicated a relatively straight-line impact path with the airplane's right wing tip hitting first followed by the nose. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; the engine was under power at impact, and the propeller was in the normal operating (not feathered) range. In addition, an autopsy of the pilot did not note any pertinent preexisting medical conditions. The airplane's high angle-of-bank turn, its subsequent descent to ground impact, and the resultant wreckage path were consistent with an accelerated stall.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.