Air Tractor AT-802 accident near Tuckerman, Arkansas, May 29, 2006
On May 29, 2006 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-802, registered N175LA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuckerman, Arkansas. 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 loss of engine power due to water contamination in the fuel. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2006 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tuckerman, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-802
- Registration
- N175LA · registry record · serial 802A-0175
- 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 13,000-hour commercial pilot departed from a private airstrip for an aerial application flight. Approximately, 3 miles from the airstrip the 1,350 horsepower engine lost power and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing in a rice field. The pilot stated that he was "forced" to make the emergency landing in the rice field because of the "low altitude" he was at when the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane received structural damage. The operator reported that he found "a substantial amount" of water in the airplane's header tank.
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: 13,000 hours in all; 4,402 in this make and model; 12,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,128.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tuckerman AR
- Destination: Tuckerman AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 20 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.