Air Tractor AT-401 N60057

Summary

On 2 June 2025 at about 15:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N60057, operated by Sunflower Aero Inc, was involved in an accident near Hamlet, 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

2 June 2025 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hamlet, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.3852, -101.1948

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-401

Registration

N60057

Category

Airplane

Year built

1994

Engines

1

Operator

Sunflower Aero Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atwood → Atwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA191

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines during low altitude maneuvering.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying the agricultural airplane at a low altitude during an aerial application flight when the airplane’s vertical stabilizer and rudder struck power lines. The airplane’s vertical stabilizer, rudder, and elevator were substantially damaged during the collision with the power lines. The pilot made an immediate landing in a nearby field due to the damaged flight controls and the airplane ground looped during the landing rollout. The pilot reported that before the airplane collided with the power lines there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.