Air Tractor AT-602 N5951B

Summary

On 25 August 2022 at about 15:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N5951B, operated by Murdoch Aerial Spraying LLC, was involved in an accident near Murray, Nebraska, 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

25 August 2022 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Murray, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Nolte Farms Airport (NE82)

Coordinates

40.9306, -95.9999

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-602

Registration

N5951B

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Murdoch Aerial Spraying 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

CEN22LA408

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during landing resulting in an impact with crop and a subsequent ground-loop. Contributing was the wet turf airstrip.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that there had been light rain in the morning prior to the flight and when he took off from the turf airstrip to conduct an aerial application flight, the turf was wet from the rain. Following applying fertilizer to a nearby cornfield, the pilot returned to the airstrip to land. After the main landing gear and tailwheel touched down and as the pilot applied brakes to steer, the airplane skidded, and the right wing struck cornstalks in the adjacent field. The airplane then ground-looped and rolled over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing and aileron. The pilot reported that there were no other preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the brake system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.