Air Tractor AT-802A N802BG

Summary

On 8 August 2010 at about 18:05 local time, a Air Tractor AT-802A registered N802BG, operated by Alan East Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Lindsay, Nebraska, 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

8 August 2010 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Lindsay, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

41.6181, -97.6186

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-802A

Registration

N802BG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alan East Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norfolk → Lindsay

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA463

1 person died.

The loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and evidence was insufficient to definitively establish whether the pilot was impaired or incapacitated.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been spraying fungicide on corn fields when the accident occurred. There were no witnesses to the accident. Examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane had impacted the ground at a high angle and that there was a post-impact fire. Engine examination bore evidence consistent with power being developed at the time of impact. No preimpact malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. Autopsy of the pilot revealed non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, but the severity could not be determined. Since the pilot did not have any known personal physician and there was no evidence that he had ever sought treatment for this condition, it is likely that it had gone undiagnosed. Patients diagnosed with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy who also have significant left ventricular dysfunction are at increased risk for sudden cardiac death. The pilot had a significant risk factor for cardiac arrhythmias, but the fact that he had significant bleeding associated with the injuries due to the accident suggests that he did not experience sudden cardiac death before impact. The possibility of preimpact impairment or incapacitation of the pilot could not be definitively established.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.