Air Tractor AT502 accident near Edcouch, Texas, July 15, 2021
On July 15, 2021 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 2019 Air Tractor AT502, registered N334LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Edcouch, Texas (Skalitsky 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 inadequate compensation for a gusting wind during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2021 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Edcouch, Texas · Skalitsky Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT502 B, built 2019
- Registration
- N334LA · registry record · serial 502B-3187
- 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 stated that shortly after liftoff a wind gust decreased the airplane’s climb performance, which resulted in the main landing gear contacting a 10 ft tall sugarcane crop off the end of the runway. The airplane continued to descend into the field where it landed hard on the right main landing gear and came to rest in a nose down attitude. The right wing sustained substantial damage during the accident. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation during the flight.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,001 hours in all; 15,100 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 23,791 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,695 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt-Whitney PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 1,695 hours total
- Operator: Sun Valley Dusting Company
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,900 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from KTXW, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTXW 151555Z AUTO 17011G16KT 10SM SCT023 SCT031 SCT037 31/24 A3007 RMK AO2 T03050236=
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 November 4, 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Conversation (Gerald S Freeman) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo | 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.