NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 7, 2010, about 1820 Central Daylight Time, an Air Tractor, Incorporated AT-602, N4184P, registered to Baylee Company, Incorporated, and operated by Standridge Flying Service, Incorporated, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain east of Clay County Road 250 near Knobel, Arkansas. The commercial rated pilot, the only person on board the airplane sustained fatal injuries. The local aerial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight departed Corning, Arkansas about 1745.

The airplane’s owner said the purpose of the flight was to spray fertilizer on a rice field near Corning. The pilot took off with a full load of fertilizer and did not return. The airplane was located at the west end of the rice field he was fertilizing.

A witness who saw the airplane said it had made a pass over the field and pitched up to reverse direction for another pass. The witness said the airplane then descended and disappeared behind a row of trees. The witness said he did not see the airplane impact, but did hear it hit the ground.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 34, held a commercial pilot certificate with a single engine land airplane rating. The operator reported the pilot as having 4,200 hours total flying time and 525 hours in the AT-602. The operator reported the pilot had flown about 300 hours in the previous 90 days and 10 hours in the 24 hours prior to the accident. The operator reported the pilot having successfully completed a flight review in the spring of 2010.

The operator also reported the pilot as having a current Second Class medical certificate with no limitations or waivers, dated March 3, 2010.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a 2009 Air Tractor, Incorporated, Model AT-602, serial number 602-1190. The airplane was powered by a Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6-60AG engine rated at 1,050 horsepower.

The operator reported the airplane underwent an annual inspection on May 29, 2010. The total airframe time at the annual inspection was 196.1 hours. The operator reported that the airplane had flown an additional 86.3 hours after the inspection to the time of the accident.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane’s main wreckage was located in an open rice field 2.7 miles northeast of Knobel, Arkansas. The accident site consisted of the airplane’s main wreckage and a debris field that extended approximately 70 feet in front of the airplane. The airplane’s fuselage was oriented on about a 045 degree heading. The main wreckage consisted of the engine and propeller, chemical tank, cockpit, fuselage, left and right wings, main landing gear, and empennage. The debris field consisted of the airplane’s upper cowling, pieces of clear Plexiglas from the airplane’s windshield and windows, parts of the glareshield, engine components, propeller blades, and pilot personal items.

The accident site began with a seven foot long, four foot wide, and 3 foot deep impact crater in the ground. The airplane’s propeller, engine, bottom cowling, and main landing gear struts were located in the crater. The angle of a propeller blade strike in the ground at the crater and the nearly vertical orientation of the engine suggested that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical descent.

The airplane’s engine was broken downward at the mounts and firewall. The airplanes propeller was buried in the bottom of the impact crater. Four of the five propeller blades had broken off at the hub. All of the propeller blades showed torsional bending, chordwise scratches and leading edge nicks.

The airplane’s chemical tank was displaced aft and broken open. The cockpit area was broken open. The cockpit windows were broken out. The pilot seat, instrument panel, glareshield and cockpit floor were broken aft and downward.

Both of the main landing gears were broken aft. Both of the airplane’s wings remained attached to the fuselage, but were crushed and buckled aft along their entire span. The fuselage aft of the cockpit was bent and buckled. The airplane’s vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the elevators, and rudder were also bent and buckled.

Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane’s engine was retained for further examination.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was conducted by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner on June 9, 2010. The medical examiner concluded that the pilot died from blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.

Results of toxicology testing of samples taken were negative for all tests conducted.

SURVIVAL ASPECTS

The airplane was equipped with a five-point restraint system with shoulder-mounted airbags. The airplane’s cockpit also was equipped with headliners. A detailed examination of the airplane’s cockpit showed that seat and restraint mountings behind the cockpit and in the floor broke forward and downward consistent with the near vertical impact of the airplane with terrain. The seat pan was crushed downward impacting the forward elevator push/pull tube, and the elevator pedals and floor of the cockpit were pushed upward in line with the seat pan. The failures observed noting from previous experience with similar accidents deemed the accident generally not survivable.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The airplane’s engine was examined at Clinton, Arkansas on July 8, 2010. The examination did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at low altitude.