Air Tractor AT502 N502S
28 June 2018 · Tappen, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 June 2018 at about 01:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT502 registered N502S, operated by Ross Seed Co Inc Dba, was involved in an accident near Tappen, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 01:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tappen, North Dakota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Private (PVT)
- Coordinates
- 46.8695, -99.6251
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT502
- Registration
- N502S
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1997
- Operator
- Ross Seed Co Inc Dba
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Tappen → Tappen
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN18LA249
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he noticed degraded engine performance when the airplane was about halfway down the runway during takeoff for the aerial application flight. Specifically, the engine torque decreased from 1,700 ft-lbs at the start of the takeoff to 1,500 ft-lbs. He determined that there was not enough runway to abort the takeoff and stop the airplane, so he applied full power and dumped the product load. The engine continued to lose power, and the airplane subsequently continued off the end of the runway and nosed over in high vegetation. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine, including individual testing of several engine components, confirmed that the engine was producing power during the impact sequence, but no determination could be made as to how much power the engine produced. The examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT502 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2018 | Air Tractor AT502 | Placedo, Texas, United States | Coastal Flying Service Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Jul 2018 | Air Tractor AT502 | Iowa, Louisiana, United States | Obrien's Flying Service Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2018 | Air Tractor AT502 | Louise, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2018 | Air Tractor AT502 | Bronson, Michigan, United States | Lutes Flying Service Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Sumner, Iowa, United States | Air Advantage Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Onida, South Dakota, United States | Wilbur Ellis Air Llc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 2018 | Cessna 152 | Fort Rice, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Aug 2018 | Beechcraft 35 | Bowman, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 2018 | Piper PA 24-260 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2018 | Aeronca 65 LB | Carrington, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2018 | Air Tractor AT802 | Napoleon, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2018 | Cessna 441 | Harmon, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |