Air Tractor INC AT-402 accident near Perryton, Texas, June 6, 2024
On June 6, 2024 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 1990 Air Tractor INC AT-402, registered N45123, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Perryton, Texas. 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’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a low-level turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at too low of an altitude to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2024 · about 6:15 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Perryton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-402 NO SERIES, built 1990 · all AT-402s on the register
- Registration
- N45123 · registry record · serial 402-0753
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported the pilot had completed the low-level aerial application work of applying liquid chemical to a grass field and the hopper was empty. During a right-hand turn, the pilot “turned too hard,” the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at an altitude too low to allow for recovery. The airplane came to rest upright in a wheat field, a postimpact fire ensued, and the pilot was able to egress from the cockpit. The airplane was destroyed by the postimpact fire. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Evacuation during post (impact)
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the fuel system
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Design other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 631.1 hours in all; 100.8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,160.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 10,160 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Wood Flying, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PYX Perryton TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from KBPC, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBPC 061815Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR A2997 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 8 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Overview of the accident site
Photograph 2 – View of the front of the airplane
Photograph 3 – View of the left side of the airplane
Photograph 4 – View of the rear of the airplane
Photograph 5 – View of the right side of the airplane
Photograph 6 – View of the outside of the cockpit
Photograph 7 – View of the inside of the cockpit
Photograph 8 – View of the engine and the propellerThe 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
7 documents, released by the NTSB on October 22, 2024. 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 9 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Records of Conversation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | N45123 - Airplane Information | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | N45123 - Most Recent Maintenance Records | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Air Tractor AT-402 Airplane Flight Manual Excerpts | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Naaa Fly Safe Messages - Aerodynamic Stalls and Fire-resistant Clothing | PDF, 2 pages | 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
- N45123 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Air Tractor Inc AT-402 160 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG 40 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Perryton Ochiltree County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN24LA216.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.