Air Tractor Inc AT-502B accident near Banquete, Texas, May 29, 2007
On May 29, 2007 at about 10:15 am local time, a Air Tractor Inc AT-502B, registered N502DB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Banquete, Texas (Corpus Christi Intl 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 maintain clearance from the power transmission line(s). A contributing factor was the low altitude selected by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2007 · about 10:15 am local time
- Place
- Banquete, Texas · Corpus Christi Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502B · all AT-502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N502DB · registry record · serial 502B
- 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 single-engine agricultural airplane collided with a set of power transmission lines while performing an aerial application flight. The 25,223-hour commercial pilot reported that while maneuvering underneath one set of power lines and over a second set of power lines, the airplane collided with the first set of power lines, separating the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. The pilot attempted to control the airplane with power, elevator and ailerons but was not successful. The pilot lost control of the airplane during the forced landing in an adjacent cotton field. The airplane sustain structural damage and the pilot was not injured. Weather at the airport was reported as winds calm, visibility 10 statute miles with clear skies, temperature 30 degrees Celsius, dew point 21 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 29.86 inches of Mercury.
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
- Flight time: 25,223 hours in all; 11,000 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 25,121 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,525.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Banquete TX at 11:25 pm
- Destination: Banquete TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from KCRP
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.