Air Tractor AT-402A accident near Bainbridge, Georgia, January 12, 2005
On January 12, 2005 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A, registered N90772, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bainbridge, Georgia (Brock Airpark airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate management of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2005 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bainbridge, Georgia · Brock Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402A
- Registration
- N90772 · registry record · serial 402A-1112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the day of the accident, the pilot operated the airplane in eight or nine flights, each lasting approximately 45 minutes in duration. The pilot refueled the airplane from a refueling tank kept at his private airstrip before the first flight of the day. On the last flight of the day, after spraying a field, the pilot noticed a gradual loss of engine power and the airplane began to lose altitude. The airplane collided with trees and the ground 1/2 mile from the approach end of runway 36. Post-accident examination of the turbine engine and the fuel control unit revealed no abnormalities. The right wing fuel tank contained approximately six gallons of Jet-A straw colored fuel and the left wing fuel tank contained approximately one quart of water. The inner web of both left and right tanks were punctured. There was no fuel recovered from the header tank and the fuel filter had fuel located in the bowl. The engine fuel filter appeared dirty and fuel in the bowl appeared discolored. The fuel last chance filter appeared clean with a small amount of fine particles in the engine bowl. The AT-402A has a fuel capacity of 167 gallons of usable fuel and three gallons of unusable fuel.
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: 9,900 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,425 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2004; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6-11AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 83GA Bainbridge GA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: Bainbridge GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 360, 3,450 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from kaby, 36 miles away
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.