Air Tractor INC AT-802A accident near Cash, Arkansas, March 28, 2025
On March 28, 2025 at about 12:55 pm local time, a 2008 Air Tractor INC AT-802A, registered N41687, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Cash, Arkansas. 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 an excavator during low-altitude aerial application operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2025 · about 12:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cash, Arkansas · 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-802A, built 2008 · all AT-802As on the register
- Registration
- N41687 · registry record · serial 0309
- 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 aerial application airplane arrived at the field to apply product, and the pilot visually observed an unoccupied excavator parked near the field. The pilot decided to perform a spray pass up to the excavator and then climb over it and continue the spray pass. When the pilot approached the excavator, he misjudged its height, and the left tire impacted the boom arm. After the airplane struck the boom arm, it impacted the ground and slid about 300 yards which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Perception › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,542 hours in all; 1,307 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,476 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 26, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 15,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 5,921 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9AR9 Cash AR at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 am from KARG, 20 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KARG 281256Z AUTO 12004KT 10SM CLR 15/13 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP192 T01500128=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures 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 May 29, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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.