Air Tractor INC AT-602 accident near Camden, Colorado, September 5, 2024
On September 5, 2024 at about 4:14 pm local time, a 2009 Air Tractor INC AT-602, registered N602BA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Camden, Colorado. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a power transformer that was mounted to a power pole during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2024 · about 4:14 pm local time
- Place
- Camden, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-602, built 2009 · all AT-602s on the register
- Registration
- N602BA · registry record · serial 602-1173
- 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 agricultural pilot was conducting an aerial application flight when the airplane’s right wing struck a power transformer that was mounted to a power pole. The impact with the power transformer occurred while the airplane was flying west along the north edge of the field being sprayed. A witness saw the airplane pitch up over a grouping of large trees when it rolled to the right and then descended into an adjacent cornfield. A wreckage examination revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal airplane operation. The right wingtip, right aileron counterbalance weight with mounting bracket, outboard half of the right aileron, and right-wing aileron cove skin separated from the airplane when the right wing struck the power transformer. As such, the pilot was unlikely able to maintain roll control of the airplane after the right wing struck the power transformer. Day visual meteorological conditions existed, and the position of the sun at the time would not have negatively affected the pilot’s view ahead of the airplane. The pilot’s autopsy and postmortem toxicology tests did not reveal any evidence of medical incapacitation or impairment.
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
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,496 hours in all; 12,308 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 15, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,454 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 18, 2024; 258 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 6,454 hours total
- Operator: Scott Aviation Inc
The flight
- Departed from: FMM Fort Morgan CO at 4:05 pm
- Destination: FMM Fort Morgan CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.47 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 am from KFMM, 11 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFMM 051615Z AUTO 03010KT 10SM BKN090 20/14 A3047 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT SW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on August 19, 2026. 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 | Witness Statement | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Spray Task Summary and Details | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Airframe Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Engine Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 13 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Propeller Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 13 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Airplane Use Log (Excerpts) | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Meteorological Data | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 9 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 20 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | FAA Toxicology Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 11 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 12 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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.