Air Tractor AT 602 accident near El Campo, Texas, April 21, 2020
On April 21, 2020 at about 4:15 pm local time, a 2014 Air Tractor AT 602, registered N419TW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near El Campo, Texas (Private Agricultural Airstrip airport). 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 misjudgment of a ground spray rig’s position and his incorrect belief that a runway incursion might occur, which resulted in the pilot attempting and then aborting a go-around, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2020 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- El Campo, Texas · Private Agricultural Airstrip · 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 2014
- Registration
- N419TW · registry record · serial 602-1251
- 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 landing at a remote agricultural airstrip for the first time. While on the final approach to land to the south and just before touchdown, the pilot saw a ground spray rig maneuver toward the airstrip. The airplane touched down uneventfully. The pilot added that the ground spray rig then "pulled out on me, not thinking it could be on the road that went around the end of the airstrip." The pilot incorrectly judged that the ground spray rig was crossing the runway and incorrectly believed that a runway incursion might occur. The pilot applied full power, but due to the turbine engine's lag in accelerating, the pilot realized that he was "not going to have enough time" to perform a go-around. The pilot reduced the power and attempted to stop the airplane before he ran out of available runway. The airplane impacted a perimeter fence and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, the right aileron, and the engine mount. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Perception › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Awareness of condition
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 6,838.8 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 24, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,445.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 2019; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 2,484 hours total
- Operator: Tradewind Ag Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 8TE8 El Campo TX at 4:10 pm
- Destination: None El Campo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,580 ft by 110 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from KARM, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 31, 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Agricultural Airstrip Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | NTSB Party Member Form | 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.