Air Tractor AT-502 N4540C

Summary

On 9 January 2021 at about 20:50 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N4540C, operated by Skyler Blue LLC, was involved in an accident near Cushing, Oklahoma, 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.

Date

9 January 2021 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Cushing, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

35.9392, -96.8206

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502

Registration

N4540C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Skyler Blue LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA110

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to takeoff from unsuitable terrain which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he intended to depart from a soft, muddy runway and was having a difficult time becoming airborne. When the airplane reached a spot of the runway that was not as muddy, the airplane “popped out of the mud” and reached an altitude of about 30 ft above the ground. Before he could lower the nose to gain airspeed, the left wing stalled and the airplane impacted the surrounding terrain resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, tail, and both wings. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.