Air Tractor INC AT-502B accident near Forbes, Missouri, June 16, 2026
On June 16, 2026 at about 1:15 am local time, a 2014 Air Tractor INC AT-502B, registered N503GK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Forbes, Missouri. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2026 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Forbes, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-502B, built 2014 · all AT-502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N503GK · registry record · serial 502B-2950
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 15, 2026, about 2015 Central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B airplane, N503GK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Forbes, Missouri. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 Agricultural flight. According to the operator, the airplane was working off a remote grass airstrip 15 miles northwest of Rosecrans Airport (KSTJ) starting at 1730. The purpose of the flight was to apply urea and ammonia sulfate to a corn field. The pilot was working 5 miles southeast of the grass airstrip. There were two company airplanes working in the area. Each airplane was equipped with a Mode C transponder and automatic dependent surveillance- broadcast (ADS-B). They maintained two-way communication between the two airplanes and the ground crew. There was no distress calls made on the radio or any indication of a mechanical problem with the accident airplane, and there were no witnesses to the accident. The airplane wreckage was subsequently found nose down, in an area of tree-covered terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage and empennage. A detailed wreckage examination is pending.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,110.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 2026; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Kurtz Aviation LLC
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from KSTJ, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSTJ 151653Z 27007KT 230V290 10SM CLR 25/07 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP170 T02500067
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC26FA054.