Air Tractor INC AT 502B accident near Enid, Oklahoma, June 19, 2018
On June 19, 2018 at about 12:15 pm local time, a 2012 Air Tractor INC AT 502B, registered N2063B, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Enid, Oklahoma. 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 see and avoid a known obstacle (communications tower) during agricultural spraying operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2018 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Enid, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT 502B B, built 2012 · all AT 502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2063B · no longer on the register · serial 502B-2800
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane was dispatched to apply fertilizer to a nearby field that he had fertilized the previous day. One witness observed the airplane make 8-10 passes over the field then saw the airplane fly low, pop up, and make a turn. According to the witness, the airplane ran into the guy wire of a tower and then the airplane "twisted violently…and dropped straight down." The 405-ft-tall tower was properly painted and lighted and was marked on the sectional chart. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane struck the top portion of the tower and impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude. Detailed examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would preclude normal operation. Toxicology testing detected doxylamine, a potentially impairing sedating antihistamine, in the pilot's blood and urine. While the detected level was within the normally sedating range, because doxylamine undergoes postmortem redistribution, levels in postmortem blood may be elevated above antemortem levels. Therefore, whether the pilot was impaired by the sedating effects of doxylamine at the time of the accident could not be determined. Additionally, the toxicology testing identified an antidepressant, citalopram, in the tested samples. Citalopram itself is not known to cause significant impairment but major depression can significantly affect judgment, response time, and executive functioning. However, because the pilot's health care prescriber could not be identified, the extent of any potential depressive symptoms at the time of the accident could not be determined.
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 › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tower/antenna (incl guy wires) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 31, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,044 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 2018; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-34AG (turboprop); 3,044 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2K1 Pond Creek OK at 11:45 am
- Destination: 2K1 Pond Creek OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from END, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. 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 | NTSB Form 6120 Pilot Operator Report CEN18FA232 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Site Schematics CEN18FA232 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for the Record Wreckage Examinations Findings CEN18FA232 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for the Record Witness Summaries and Locations in Proximity to Accident Site CEN18FA232 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | CEN18FA232 Medical Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Enid Police Report CEN18FA232 | PDF, 17 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Toxicology Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | NTSB Certification of Party Form Air Tractor CEN18FA232 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.