Air Tractor AT-402A accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas, May 24, 2005
On May 24, 2005 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A, registered N198AS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas (Private 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 calculate take off-distance performance data, which resulted in insufficient runway length for take off. Factors were the tailwind and high gross weight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2005 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cherry Valley, Arkansas · Private · 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
- N198AS · registry record · serial AT402A-1053
- 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 1,931-hour commercial pilot departed on his twenty-first flight of the day from a 2,200-foot-long and 70-foot-wide grass runway with a 22 knot tailwind. The airplane was loaded with less fuel and the same amount of fertilizer as the previous twenty flights, but the wind velocity had steadily increased throughout the day. The pilot said the airplane became airborne approximately 1,800 to 1,900 feet down the runway, but stayed in ground effect and subsequently struck two levees before it crossed a gravel road and impacted a ditch. The airplane eventually came to rest in a bean field. He said, "The tailwind and the load probably caused the airplane not to climb." The pilot also said that he did not calculate any take off performance data prior to departure.
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: 1,931 hours in all; 970 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,860 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,582 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cherry Valley AR at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,200 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.