Air Tractor AT802 accident near Birch Creek, Alaska, July 14, 2020
On July 14, 2020 at about 11:55 pm local time, a 2017 Air Tractor AT802, registered N80166, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Birch Creek, Alaska. It was a firefighting 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
A loss of control for undetermined reasons while on the surface of the water during scoop operations in support of wildland firefighting operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2020 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Birch Creek, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT802 A, built 2017
- Registration
- N80166 · registry record · serial 802A-0685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Firefighting flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The mission-specific modified airplane was used to support wildland firefighting operations. It was equipped with amphibious floats that routed water through a dual scoop system to a hopper located in the airplane. The scoops could be manually deployed by a switch located on the control stick. According to the pilot, on the 28th scoop of the day, he touched down on the surface of the water and deployed the scoops to begin filling the airplane’s hopper when the airplane veered to the right. In an effort to correct for the veer, he released the scoop switch and applied left rudder to no avail. He retarded the throttle and applied reverse thrust as the airplane began to impact trees located on the lake’s shoreline. The airplane came to rest upright in a marshy area on the lake’s shoreline sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. A series of detailed examinations of the airplane, including its water scoop system, revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 10,700 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 349.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 16, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Spray Inc
The flight
- Departed from: PAFB Fairbanks AK
- Destination: PAFB Fairbanks AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on March 16, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engine Monitoring Device - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Attachment 1 - Engine Monitoring Device - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 3 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | GPS Device - Email Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Air Tractor AT-802A Flight Manual Supplement Excerpt | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Memorandum for Record - On-scene Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Memorandum for Record - Scoop Cycle Testing | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Memorandum for Record - Fuel Tank Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.