Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Collinwood, Tennessee, March 15, 2007
On March 15, 2007 at about 9:06 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N90319, was substantially damaged in an accident near Collinwood, Tennessee (Private Strip airport). 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 pilots improper inflight planning which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2007 · about 9:06 pm local time
- Place
- Collinwood, Tennessee · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N90319 · registry record · serial 502B-0578
- 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 pilot stated that he departed to apply fertilizer to a timber field 11 miles southwest of the departure point. He noticed that his fuel was low and turned on the fuel boost pump. He continued to finish his fertilizer load. The pilot stated that during the return to the landing zone, "the airplane ran out fuel and the engine stopped". He then made a forced landing in a field and the airplane collided with a row of trees next to a creek. The pilot turned off all electrical switches and exited the airplane. The pilot was uninjured, and did not report any mechanical or flight control anomalies prior to the accident. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that both fuel tanks were empty. The wings and fuselage were also buckled.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 19,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2007; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Private Strip TN at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Private Strip TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KMSL, 11 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.