Air Tractor AT602 accident near Lake Village, Arkansas, July 11, 2010
On July 11, 2010 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT602, registered N42590, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Lake Village, Arkansas. 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 failure to maintain clearance from the wires during the aerial application pass.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2010 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Village, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT602 NO SERIES
- Registration
- N42590 · registry record · serial 602-1181
- 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 a statement from the pilot, he was conducting an aerial application pass when the airplane struck power lines along his route of flight. The pilot performed a forced landing to an open field shortly thereafter. According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who traveled to the accident site the fuselage was buckled between the cabin and the empennage, the upper portion of the rudder had separated from the vertical stabilizer, and the outboard portion of the right wing was crushed, torn, and bent aft. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 12,716 hours in all; 4,430 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 15, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 410 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt And Whitney Canada PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Village AR
- Destination: Lake Village AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KGLH, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N42590 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.