Air Tractor INC AT-602 accident near Canton, Mississippi, July 29, 2010
On July 29, 2010 at about 11:03 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-602, registered N9046D, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Canton, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2010 · about 11:03 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-602 · all AT-602s on the register
- Registration
- N9046D · no longer on the register · serial 602-0562
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the operator, the pilot was practicing maneuvers in the agricultural application airplane to improve his skills. Several witnesses observed the airplane spiraling nose down just before it impacted the ground, consistent with it having entered an aerodynamic stall. One of the witnesses recalled hearing the airplane's engine running during the accident sequence. No mechanical anomalies were noted during the postaccident examination of the airplane; however, the airplane was severely damaged due to the severe impact forces and post-crash fire. An annual inspection was completed on the airplane and engine 4 months prior to the accident, with no anomalies noted. Postaccident toxicological testing and autopsy findings revealed no evidence of a medical anomaly and no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the pilot's system. The pilot had been flying the airplane for about 1 month prior to the accident and had accumulated 54 hours of flight experience during that time.
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
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,009 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 996 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,615 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: AG Pilots INC
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Canton MS
- Destination: PVT Canton MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from JAN, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N9046D 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.