Air Tractor AT-402A accident near Cherokee, Iowa, August 25, 2002
On August 25, 2002 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A, registered N9032K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherokee, Iowa (Cherokee Municipal airport). 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 failed to maintain clearance with the power lines resulting in the rudder separation and the subsequent loss of aircraft control. A factor associated with the accident was the power line that was contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2002 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cherokee, Iowa · Cherokee Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402A
- Registration
- N9032K · no longer on the register · serial 402B-1105
- 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 airplane contacted power lines during an aerial application flight. The pilot reported he was making a swath run along a set of power lines that ran north and south through the middle of a field when the airplane contacted another set of power lines that ran east and west along the north edge of the field. The top 10 inches of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder separated from the airplane. The pilot reported that when the rudder separated, the rudder pedals were "pulled tight against the hopper" which resulted in him having no rudder control. In addition, he stated that he only had "some" aileron control. The pilot reported that about one-half mile from the airport, he pulled the power back to 1,000 pounds of torque and the airplane began to bank to the right. He reported that he was unable to control the bank with the ailerons. According to the pilot, the airplane then banked to the left, the nose pitched up, and the airplane "rolled over on its back." He reported the nose then dropped and the airplane descended into the ground.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 870 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 758 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2002; 119 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-15 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKP Cherokee IA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: CKP Cherokee IA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 pm from SLB, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.