Air Tractor AT 602 accident near Quanah, Texas, April 28, 2019
On April 28, 2019 at about 5:58 pm local time, a 1997 Air Tractor AT 602, registered N602AM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Quanah, Texas. 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 the power line during a low altitude aerial application maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2019 · about 5:58 pm local time
- Place
- Quanah, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT 602 No Series, built 1997
- Registration
- N602AM · no longer on the register · serial 602-0408
- 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 was conducting aerial application passes parallel to a transmission power line. During the final trim pass, the pilot flew out of the field and over the power line. As he was passing over the power line, the propeller blades struck a wire that he did not see, and the engine lost power. The pilot indicated that he conducted a controlled "crash landing" about 1.5 miles away from the power line strike during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot further reported that "there was no malfunction prior to hitting the 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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,306 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,262 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 28, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,582 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, December 15, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 9,582 hours total
- Operator: Buffalo Ridge Airspray Llc
The flight
- Departed from: F01 Quanah TX at 5:00 pm
- Destination: F01 Quanah TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 pm from KCDS, 27 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 June 12, 2019. 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.
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.