Air Tractor AT-402A accident near Mead, Colorado, August 11, 1999
On August 11, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A, registered N402RE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mead, Colorado (Carrera Airpark 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 failure to follow proper approach to landing procedures as outlined in the Airplane Flight Manual. A factor was the 6-foot tall corn stalks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mead, Colorado · Carrera Airpark Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402A
- Registration
- N402RE · registry record · serial 402A-1027
- 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 pilot performed an aerial spray of a field with insecticides and was returning for landing at the privately-owned airstrip. While 100 ft. agl, the pilot reported a loss of engine power and the aircraft landed in a field of 6-foot tall corn stalks 150 yards short of the runway. Following the accident, the aircraft's engine was disassembled and examined, then reassembled and run in a test cell. No abnormalities or discrepancies were found that would have interfered with normal engine operation. An examination of the aircraft's propeller blades revealed that each of the propeller blades were bent in the reverse direction. The power lever in the aircraft is designed with a beta mode in which the pilot can manually pull the throttle rearward with corresponding negative blade angles. It takes between 3 to 6 seconds for the engine to respond to increased engine power input. The Airplane Flight Manual for the aircraft states that during approach to landing, the pilot is instructed to adjust the power lever to provide the required rate of descent, to 'not move [the] power lever below the idle stop position,' and to verify that the beta light is out.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,847 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 249 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days; 15,671 as pilot in command; 2,803 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 769 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 17, 1999; 247 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-11AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Carrera Airpark CO at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 2,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.