Air Tractor AT-502 N1540S

Summary

On 21 July 2022 at about 23:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N1540S was involved in an accident near East Grand Forks, Minnesota, 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

21 July 2022 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

East Grand Forks, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

47.9307, -97.0124

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502

Registration

N1540S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Grand Forks → East Grand Forks

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA342

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the power lines during a low-level application pass.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while maneuvering to apply chemical to a field at low altitude, the top of the vertical stabilizer struck a set of power lines. The pilot reported that “the rudder was hammed and [he] had no rudder control.” The pilot made a forced landing in a wheat field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident failures or malfunctions with the airplane before the collision with the power lines that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.