Air Tractor AT502B accident near Giltner, Nebraska, July 30, 1999
On July 30, 1999 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT502B, registered N5008Z, was destroyed in an accident near Giltner, Nebraska. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout, and his failure to maintain clearance from the guy wire. A factor was the guy wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1999 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Giltner, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT502B
- Registration
- N5008Z · registry record · serial 502B-0434
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Giltner, Nebraska. The pilot was fatally injured. A neighbor found the airplane wreckage and telephoned 911. The sky condition was clear. The United States Naval Observatory altitude and azimuth of the sun in Giltner, Nebraska, were 24.8 degrees and 273.5 degrees. An examination of the airplane's SATLOC computer and power supply unit revealed no evidence of pre-existing anomalies. The SATLOC's memory card was found damaged and its damaged portion could not be read or recovered. The airplane was found on the shoulder of 8 Road, west of D Road. An on scene inspection of the airplane revealed that there was flight control and engine continuity and found no evidence of preimpact malfunctions. The left wing had a section of its leading edge torn off. This section was found in two pieces in the cornfield northwest of D Road and 8 Road's intersection. The parts exhibited a gouge and the parts mated to the missing area. A radio tower was found with one of its guy wire cables detached from its tower mounting position. The cable was found lying across power lines, across D Road, and was lying in the cornfield near the torn leading edge parts. A visibility study revealed that from where the pilot sat, the area of the left wing's leading edge where it was torn was blocked by the door post. The area could be viewed if a leaning forward position or a leaning to the left position was performed.
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: 8,349 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 831 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 1999; 221 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUH Aurora NE at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from GRI, 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.