Air Tractor AT-802 N983LA

Summary

On 4 July 2024 at about 19:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-802 registered N983LA was involved in an accident near Brad, Texas, 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

4 July 2024 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Brad, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.3934, -98.4489

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-802

Registration

N983LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2022

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Fire Fighting

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mineral Wells → Mineral Wells

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA255

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after encountering a large boat wake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing firefighting activity at the time of the accident. He reported that after scooping a load of water and applying takeoff power, the airplane encountered a large boat wake which caused it to become airborne. However, the pilot did not have sufficient flight control authority to counter act the engine torque. The left float contacted the water, and the airplane veered to the left. The left-wing spar was damaged during the impact sequence. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions before the accident that would have precluded normal airplane operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.