Air Tractor INC AT-602 accident near Ruleville, Mississippi, April 9, 2012
On April 9, 2012 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-602, registered N51037, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Ruleville, Mississippi. 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 inadequate preflight planning and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2012 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ruleville, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-602 · all AT-602s on the register
- Registration
- N51037 · no longer on the register · serial 602-0464
- 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 pilot departed on an aerial application flight with an estimated 53 gallons of fuel. He had not reset the fuel totalizer before departure. He made numerous passes over a 100-acre field spraying fertilizer during the 30 minute flight. After his last pass, the pilot noticed a fuel flow fluctuation. The engine subsequently lost power at an altitude of 75 to 100 feet above the ground, and the pilot made a forced landing. He pulled the airplane off the ground again briefly to clear an obstruction; however, when the airplane touched down again, the left main landing gear sank into soft ground and sheared off. The airplane rotated to the right onto its nose, and the left wing sustained structural damage. Postaccident examination revealed that the left and right main fuel caps had a tight seal and there was no evidence of streaking or venting of fuel on the airplane or on the ground. The left, right, header, and purge fuel tanks were drained and yielded about 34 total ounces of fuel—two ounces from the right fuel tank and 32 ounces from the header tank. The left and purge tanks contained no fuel. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,067 hours in all; 2,311 in this make and model; 144 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 10,019 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 17, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,311 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 24, 2012; 144 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-66 SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Boyle Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: Boyle MS at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Boyle MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GWO, 30 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 N51037 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.