Air Tractor AT-502A N1541T

Summary

On 6 November 2006 at about 18:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502A registered N1541T, operated by M and M Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Deming, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 November 2006 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Deming, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

32.5292, -107.7800

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502A

Registration

N1541T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

M and M Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Deming → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07LA020

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain. A contributing factor was the low airspeed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was applying dry chemical to a field. After refueling and reloading dry chemical, the pilot departed for the second flight of the day. A rancher, who owned the field the pilot was spraying, was in contact with the pilot via hand-held radio. The pilot and rancher discussed the terrain and application flight paths. The pilot elected to start the application at the top of a ridge and fly downhill. The pilot reported that the downhill pass felt okay, and he was going to make the second pass up slope. The up slope application pass was successful. The rancher then observed the airplane climb to about 500 feet above ground level over a saddle gap between two 6,300 foot ridges, and the airplane began a turn back to the field. Subsequently, the pilot reported over the radio that he was " in a bind and was going to crash." The rancher then observed the airplane "pitch over abruptly and enter a tight spin." The airplane made three turns prior to impact with terrain. The airplane was destroyed by post-impact fire. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.