Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Hector, Minnesota, August 29, 2005
On August 29, 2005, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N4550N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hector, Minnesota. 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 achieve adequate airspeed on takeoff which resulted in the airplane entering a stall/mush when it flew out of ground effect while crossing a large drainage ditch on takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2005
- Place
- Hector, Minnesota · 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
- N4550N · registry record · serial 502-0131
- 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 collided with the terrain and a corn crop during takeoff on a 2,800 foot long runway. The pilot reported he noticed that the airplane was not developing full power during the takeoff. He reported he was about half way down the runway at the time. He reported, "As I lifted off the end of the runway I was just barely flying. I had to cross a large drainage ditch thus losing ground effect." The pilot reported that the main gear touched down and the tail wheel hit the bank on the far side of the drainage ditch prior to the airplane coming to rest in a corn field. The airplane was loaded with 450 pounds of insecticide at the time of the accident. The pilot reported the local winds were from 300 degrees at 2 to 3 knots.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 3,100 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6-15 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1D6 Hector MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.