Air Tractor INC AT-802A accident near Wiville, Arkansas, August 18, 2015
On August 18, 2015 at about 4:05 pm local time, a 2013 Air Tractor INC AT-802A, registered N3070R, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Wiville, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a utility pole while maneuvering during an agricultural application flight, which resulted in damage to the right aileron and a subsequent uncontrolled right roll at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2015 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Wiville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-802A, built 2013 · all AT-802As on the register
- Registration
- N3070R · no longer on the register · serial 802A-0528
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a local agricultural application flight when the airplane collided with a utility pole that was located along the border of the field being sprayed. A witness reported hearing the pilot transmit over the radio that he had "messed up" and that his airplane had collided with a pole. The pilot also reported having an unspecified flight control issue following the collision. The witness stated that the airplane remained in level flight for about 1 mile before it entered a slow right roll and descended into a forested area. Postaccident examination established that the airplane's right wingtip had impacted near the top of the 30-ft-tall utility pole. The examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane before the collision. It is likely that the collision with the utility pole damaged the right aileron, which resulted in an uncontrolled right roll and subsequent descent into terrain.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,139.2 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 9, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 878.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 2014; 405 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 878 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Reynolds Flying Service, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 7M0 Mccrory AR at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 7M0 Mccrory AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from SRC, 26 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.