Air Tractor AT-502B N509HB

Summary

On 3 June 2023 at about 16:58 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B registered N509HB, operated by Baylee Company Inc, was involved in an accident near Lake Village, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 June 2023 at 16:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Village, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

33.3228, -91.2999

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502B

Registration

N509HB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Baylee Company Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Village → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA223

Nobody was injured.

A reported loss of thrust for reasons that could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was departing from a 2,100-ft-long airstrip used for agricultural operations. The pilot reported that shortly after departure, the airplane lost thrust, but the engine remained operating. Unable to continue flight with diminished thrust, the pilot started to jettison fertilizer and completed a forced landing to a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. A postaccident engine and propeller examination did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure consistent with an inability to produce rated engine power. Damage to the propeller blades was consistent with high impact forces while the propeller was rotating at low power at a low blade pitch angle. The airplane’s gross weight and center-of-gravity limits could not be definitively determined. However, based on the available evidence, the airplane weight was estimated to be at or above 8,000 lbs. Takeoff distance data indicated the distance required for takeoff would have been between 1,418 ft and 2,156 ft. The runway used for takeoff was 2,100 ft long. The reason for a loss of engine power as described by the pilot could not be determined as no anomalies were found with the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.