Air Tractor AT-802A N802NZ

Summary

On 17 November 2021 at about 01:36 local time, a Air Tractor AT-802A registered N802NZ, operated by CO Fire Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Estes Park, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 November 2021 at 01:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Estes Park, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.3351, -105.4774

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-802A

Registration

N802NZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

CO Fire Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Collins → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN22FA035

1 person died.

The airplane’s encounter with severe to extreme turbulence associated with mountain wave rotor cloud activity, which resulted in loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aerial firefighting flight was approaching the intended drop location when the airplane rolled inverted, descended, and impacted terrain. The airplane wreckage displayed features of a low-speed, nose-down impact with the engine producing power. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. Recorded data showed decreasing indicated airspeed and increasing engine power toward the end of the flight. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The accident site was located on the eastern slope of a high mountain range, and west winds gusting to near 30 knots were reported near the time of the accident. An animation of satellite imagery showed that most of the clouds west and east of the accident site did not propagate eastward with time with the mean wind but remained relatively stationary, which was consistent with mountain wave activity. Low cloud bands immediately south of the accident also remained relatively stationary and were likely rotor clouds, a type of cloud associated with severe or greater turbulence. It is likely the airplane encountered severe to extreme low altitude turbulence associated with rotor clouds, which resulted in the loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.