Air Tractor AT602 accident near Trumann, Arkansas, May 27, 2021
On May 27, 2021 at about 11:06 pm local time, a 2014 Air Tractor AT602, registered N602NY, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Trumann, Arkansas (Mccormick 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 failure to review the weather conditions before the flight, which resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff due to a sudden change in wind direction and speed associated with an approaching thunderstorm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2021 · about 11:06 pm local time
- Place
- Trumann, Arkansas · Mccormick · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT602 NO SERIES, built 2014
- Registration
- N602NY · no longer on the register · serial 602-1245
- 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 reported that the agricultural airplane was on takeoff roll when a sudden wind gust caused the airplane to swerve left. He was unable to regain directional control of the airplane before it departed the left side of the runway, through a drainage ditch, and into a cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, aft fuselage, empennage, and the engine mounts. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Earlier in the day, the pilot had reviewed the local forecast on the National Weather Service website, which stated that there was a chance of thunderstorms later in the afternoon. He also reviewed the weather conditions periodically throughout the day using a weather application on his mobile phone/tablet, but the last time he had reviewed the weather application was about 15 minutes before the accident, at which time he did not observe any thunderstorms in the local area. The pilot did not review any weather data before the accident flight. According to weather radar data, a significant thunderstorm was approaching the airstrip from the southwest in the minutes preceding the accident and was over the airstrip about 5 minutes after the accident. The pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during the takeoff was likely due to a sudden change in wind direction and speed associated with the approaching thunderstorm.
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
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,312 hours in all; 662 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 6,186 as pilot in command; 933 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 30, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,651 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from JBR, 14 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KJBR 272253Z AUTO 18006KT 10SM SCT055 30/20 A2987 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT W-NE RAB02E15 SLP110 P0000 T03000200$
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 September 15, 2021. 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 |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation (David Freppon) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather radar Images ( 7 Total ) | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N602NY 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.