Air Tractor AT-402 N45123

Summary

On 6 June 2024 at about 18:15 local time, a Air Tractor AT-402 registered N45123, operated by Wood Flying, Inc., was involved in an accident near Perryton, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 June 2024 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Perryton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

36.0918, -100.9517

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-402

Registration

N45123

Category

Airplane

Year built

1990

Engines

1

Operator

Wood Flying, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Perryton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA216

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a low-level turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at too low of an altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported the pilot had completed the low-level aerial application work of applying liquid chemical to a grass field and the hopper was empty. During a right-hand turn, the pilot “turned too hard,” the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at an altitude too low to allow for recovery. The airplane came to rest upright in a wheat field, a postimpact fire ensued, and the pilot was able to egress from the cockpit. The airplane was destroyed by the postimpact fire. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.