Air Tractor INC AT-502 accident near East Grand Forks, Minnesota, July 21, 2022
On July 21, 2022 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1992 Air Tractor INC AT-502, registered N1540S, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near East Grand Forks, Minnesota. 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 lines during a low-level application pass.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2022 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- East Grand Forks, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-502 NO SERIES, built 1992 · all AT-502s on the register
- Registration
- N1540S · registry record · serial 502-0171
- 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, while maneuvering to apply chemical to a field at low altitude, the top of the vertical stabilizer struck a set of power lines. The pilot reported that “the rudder was hammed and [he] had no rudder control.” The pilot made a forced landing in a wheat field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident failures or malfunctions with the airplane before the collision with the power lines 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,641 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 104 in the last 30 days; 2,456 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 19, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,602 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 11,602 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A East Grand Forks MN at 11:30 pm
- Destination: N/A East Grand Forks MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 76°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 2989.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from Unko, 1 miles away
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 September 15, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1540S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502 502 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG 40 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,958 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA342.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.