Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Crosbyton, Texas, March 18, 2005
On March 18, 2005 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N9017Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crosbyton, Texas (Dummy 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 mantain directional control during take-off. A contributing factor was the dust devil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2005 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Crosbyton, Texas · Dummy · 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
- N9017Z · registry record · serial 0546
- 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 lost directional control of the tail wheel equipped airplane during takeoff roll after encountering a dust devil soon after the tail came up. The pilot estimated that the winds were from the west-northwest at 5 to 7 knots prior to his attempted takeoff from the 3,600-foot long by 60-foot wide asphalt runway. The airplane was loaded with 400 gallons of water.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mcadoo Flying Service, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: 8F3 Crosbyton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 30°F (-1°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.
Other NTSB records under N9017Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.