Air Tractor INC AT-402A accident near Arriba, Colorado, May 5, 2011
On May 5, 2011 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-402A, registered N5192F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Arriba, Colorado. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s controlled flight into terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2011 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arriba, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-402A · all AT-402As on the register
- Registration
- N5192F · registry record · serial 402A-1093
- 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 completed an aerial application portion of his flight and departed from the work area. The airplane collided with the ground at a high speed in a flat, open field about 7 miles from the work area. The pilot sustained serious injuries and was unable to recall any of the events preceding the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not identify any preimpact abnormalities with the airframe or engine. The airplane’s three-bladed propeller displayed signatures that were consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact. Data recovered from an on-board GPS unit tracked the airplane from departure to the accident site. The data showed that, during the final minute of the flight, the airplane’s airspeed increased and its altitude decreased. The flight profile is consistent with a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) for undetermined reasons.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,209 hours in all; 1,812 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 8,029 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 6, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2010
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A SERIES (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Arriba CO at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Arriba CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from KLIC, 25 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.
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.