Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Panama City, Florida, March 2, 2005
On March 2, 2005 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N5006V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Panama City, Florida. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to remove frost from the airplane which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush during the takeoff/initial climb, and an in-flight collision with trees. Contributing to the accident were the rough and uneven airstrip, and degraded aircraft performance due to frost on the wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2005 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Registration
- N5006V · registry record · serial 602-0422
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported that the certificated commercial pilot was departing from a private airstrip in a turbine-powered airplane with 3,500 pounds of fertilizer on board. The operator noted that the accident flight was the pilot's first flight of the day, and that there was "heavy frost on the aircraft" prior to departure. During the pilot's takeoff run on the rough and uneven airstrip, the airplane's main wheels struck a bump that bounced the airplane into the air. Once the airplane was airborne, it rolled left, and the left wing struck the ground. The operator wrote, in part: "At this point, the aircraft was trying to gain altitude, but stalled and went into the trees under full power..." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 27,701 hours in all; 10,400 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 26,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 8, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,129.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 8, 2005; 86.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45R (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gentry'S Flying Service, LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: Panama City FL at 12:45 pm
- Destination: Panama City FL
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.