Air Tractor INC AT-602 accident near Udall, Kansas, May 5, 2013
On May 5, 2013 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-602, registered N628JP, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Udall, Kansas. 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 flight planning, which resulted in a wire strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2013 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Udall, Kansas · 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-602 · all AT-602s on the register
- Registration
- N628JP · no longer on the register · serial 602-0564
- 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 of an aerial application flight reported that he arrived at the field and conducted three surveillance orbits to check for obstacles and wires. The pilot flew five spraying passes over the field, but on the sixth pass, the airplane’s propeller and landing gear struck a powerline. The airplane started vibrating severely, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a large bush that turned the airplane sideways as it skidded to a stop, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. The pole associated with the powerline that was struck was located in the tree line, and the pilot did not see the low hanging powerline that ran at an angle across the field. He did not have a map of the field, and he was not informed about the low hanging powerline.
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 landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 50 in the last 30 days; 17,800 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Andy Deterding Ag Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: EGT Wellington KS at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Udall KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N628JP 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.