Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Hudson, Illinois, August 15, 2003
On August 15, 2003 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N9187Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hudson, Illinois (Private Airstrip airport). 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 failed to abort the takeoff. A factor was the soybean crop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2003 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Hudson, Illinois · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N9187Z · registry record · serial 502-0223
- 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 Part 137 aerial application airplane sustained substantial damage during takeoff from a private grass airstrip when it contacted the soybean crop. The pilot reported the airplane was loaded with 405 gallons of chemical and both wings were 3/4 full of Jet A fuel. He reported that during takeoff roll the right wingtip and right spray boom "caught the soybeans at the end of the runway." The airplane veered to the right and skidded sideways. He reported extensive damage to the wings, engine, and propeller. He reported there was no mechanical malfunction of the airplane prior to the accident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,699 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 109 in the last 30 days; 3,530 as pilot in command; 56 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,746 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 30, 2002; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 04IL Hudson IL at 11:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,500 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from BMI, 10 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.