Air Tractor AT-402B accident near Ridgely, Tennessee, June 23, 1997
On June 23, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402B, registered N6128W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ridgely, Tennessee (Dewdrop 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 pilot's inadequate preflight planning in that he failed to account for the high temperature and high density altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Factors were the tall crops and the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ridgely, Tennessee · Dewdrop 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-402B
- Registration
- N6128W · registry record · serial 402B-1002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after taking off from the grass strip, for the fourteenth or fifteenth time that day, with the same load and fuel quantity, he noticed that, after lift off, the 'airplane did not seem to accelerate like normal and began to sink'. He stated he then attempted to dump the 3100 pounds of ammonium nitrate he was carrying. Subsequently, after the doors opened, the airplane stalled, and the airplane collided with the ground; a corn field with plants about six feet tall. The pilot stated that 'before he could reach the power lever, the airplane started turning slightly to the right, and then the left landing gear failed'. No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot. The pilot stated that he believed the light and variable wind and the high temperature contributed to the failure of the airplane to climb. The ambient conditions, at the time of the accident, were the high temperature, high density altitude, and high gross weight of 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,769 hours in all; 5,969 in this make and model; 353 in the last 90 days; 109 in the last 30 days; 9,697 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,324 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 20, 1996; 116 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,170 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Observation at 10:35 pm from DYR, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N6128W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.