Air Tractor INC AT-502B accident near Portales, New Mexico, October 17, 2012
On October 17, 2012 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-502B, registered N598LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Portales, New Mexico. 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 power lines during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2012 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Portales, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-502B · all AT-502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N598LA · registry record · serial 502B-2598
- 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 private pilot was maneuvering the airplane above a crop field during an aerial application flight. Upon entering the field from the south, the pilot misjudged the airplane’s distance from power lines and struck a power line. He subsequently lost control of the airplane, which impacted terrain and came to rest inverted, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane or engine.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 30,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 11, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 9,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: King AG Leasing INC
The flight
- Departed from: Portales NM
- Destination: Portales NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KCVS, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 26, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N598LA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N598LA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502 502 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,114 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N598LA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN13CA019.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.