Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Imperial, Nebraska, April 4, 2005
On April 4, 2005 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N5015K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Imperial, Nebraska (Imperial Muni 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's inadequate preflight planning which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. The soft ground was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2005 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Imperial, Nebraska · Imperial Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Registration
- N5015K · registry record · serial 602-0429
- 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 was damaged during a forced landing to a field following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had about 40 minutes of fuel remaining when he exited the last sprayed field. He stated that when he was about 1 mile south of the airport, the engine lost power. He checked the fuel flow meter which "suggested" he had over 30 minutes of fuel remaining, with 1/4 in one tank and 1/8 in the other tank. He stated that he executed a landing to a field and the main landing gear sunk into the soft dirt and the airplane nosed over. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed no useable quantity of fuel remaining in the fuel tanks. Subsequent to the accident, the airplane's engine was removed from the airplane and a functional test performed. The engine was run on a test stand and no anomalies were found.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,301 hours in all; 328 in this make and model; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,204 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2004; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Top Hat Aerial Applicators INC
The flight
- Departed from: IML Imperial NE at 3:28 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KIML, 1 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.