Air Tractor AT-402B N402SJ

Summary

On 18 June 2021 at about 00:22 local time, a Air Tractor AT-402B registered N402SJ, operated by Eastern Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Kinston, North Carolina, 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

18 June 2021 at 00:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Kinston, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.2314, -77.6357

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-402B

Registration

N402SJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Eastern Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mount Olive → Dover

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21FA257

1 person died.

The pilot’s decision to conduct low-level aerobatic maneuvers in an airplane not approved for aerobatic flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin, a loss of control, and an impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had completed a full day of agriculture spraying operations, refueled, then departed to position the airplane back to his home base. The pilot informed a friend that he was going to perform a “flyover” at a drag racing strip that was along the route. Video evidence and multiple witnesses reported seeing the airplane perform an aerobatic maneuver over the drag strip. The aerobatic maneuver captured on video showed the airplane entered a pull-up maneuver while in an inverted attitude. When the airplane reached the top of the climb, a right roll was performed and for a moment, the airplane was in an upright attitude; however, nearly all forward momentum had stopped. The airplane entered a descent, impacted terrain in a nearly 90° nose-low vertical attitude, and exploded. It is likely that, at the top of the climb during the aerobatic maneuver, the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and the entry phase of a spin, and a loss of control ensued. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Several powerplant and propeller signatures were consistent with the engine operating at the time of impact. The pilot was the president of the agricultural operations business that operated the airplane from an airstrip at his residence. Witnesses reported that in the weeks leading up to the accident, they had observed the accident airplane (most likely piloted by the accident pilot) as it performed low-level aerobatics over the drag racing strip. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot’s decision to perform low-level aerobatics in an airplane not approved for aerobatic flight was a repetitive behavior indicative of a hazardous attitude and poor decision-making.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.