Air Tractor AT 602 N2049D

Summary

On 19 March 2017 at about 21:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT 602 registered N2049D, operated by Sturdivant Brothers Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Minter City, Mississippi, 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

19 March 2017 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Minter City, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

33.7719, -90.3806

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 602

Registration

N2049D

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Sturdivant Brothers Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glendora → Glendora

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17FA131

1 person died.

The pilot's incapacitation for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in collision with trees and terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The nearly 30,000-hour commercial pilot was conducting an aerial application flight. A nearby witness heard the airplane and reported that it sounded normal, then about 10 to 15 seconds later, he heard a "pop" sound followed by an explosion. Examination of the accident site, which was located well within the typical agricultural turn distance location for a turbine-powered airplane, revealed that the left wing collided with trees in a wings-level attitude. The airplane was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane or its systems that would have precluded normal operation and propeller damage indicated that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. The pilot was reported by family members to have had a cold the day before the accident, and toxicology identified doxylamine, a sedating antihistamine, in the pilot's blood and urine. The pilot may have experienced impairing effects from the doxylamine, which could have affected his reaction time, sleepiness, and judgment. Although the autopsy did not identify any incapacitating medical conditions, there are a number of conditions that could incapacitate a pilot and leave no evidence at autopsy. The airplane's descent below the height of trees, the pilot's failure to avoid trees before impact, and his failure to use a nearby open field as a forced landing site suggest that he likely was unable to perform basic piloting functions, most likely due to incapacitation, although the reason for incapacitation could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.