Air Tractor INC AT-502 accident near Wooster, Ohio, August 4, 2021
On August 4, 2021 at about 2:25 pm local time, a 1991 Air Tractor INC AT-502, registered N1519U, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Wooster, Ohio. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently collided with powerline wires during an agricultural spraying flight, resulting in a loss of aircraft control and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2021 · about 2:25 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Wooster, Ohio · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-502, built 1991 · all AT-502s on the register
- Registration
- N1519U · no longer on the register · serial 502-0154
- 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 he was conducting an aerial application flight and was spraying his third field of the day when while maneuvering to make his next pass under high-tension powerlines he heard a “pop” and the airplane pitched up and started to “fishtail”. The pilot pitched the airplane down to regain control and attempted to maneuver to an open field to land the airplane. The airplane rolled and it felt as if the right wing stalled. The airplane then struck the wires next to the road and cartwheeled into the yard on the opposite side of the street. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage, both wings, the aft fuselage, and empennage. There were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,037 hours in all; 310 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carlson Production Services LLC
The flight
- Departed from: BJJ Wooster OH at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 am from KBJJ, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBJJ 041356Z AUTO 09004KT 10SM CLR 22/13 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP204 T02220128=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 6, 2022. 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 Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum - Pilot Interview by FAA | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1519U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1519U: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502 501 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wayne County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N1519U 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN21LA354.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.