Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Hickory Ridge, Arkansas, July 12, 2005
On July 12, 2005 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N9086V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hickory Ridge, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain during aerial application.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2005 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hickory Ridge, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N9086V · no longer on the register · serial 502B-0612
- 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 1,600-hour commercial pilot was maneuvering during an aerial application flight when the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright in a rice field. The first ground scar was a wheel impact mark located on a field road approximately 40 yards east of where the airplane came to rest. There were no reported witnesses to the accident. Despite repeated attempts by the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC), the operator/pilot did not return a completed Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form (NTSB Form 6120.1/2).
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: 1,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 9,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hickory Ridge AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from JBR, 31 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.
Other NTSB records under N9086V 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.