Air Tractor INC AT-502B accident near Newton, Georgia, October 20, 2012
On October 20, 2012 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-502B, registered N502PB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Newton, Georgia. 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 power lines while maneuvering, which resulted in a hard forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2012 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Newton, Georgia · 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-502B · all AT-502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N502PB · registry record · serial 502B-0500
- 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 stated that he was performing an agricultural application over a cotton field bordered by a set of power lines. After making a pass over the field, the pilot ascended to fly over the power lines. While turning back toward the field, he “misjudged” the location of a static cable. The airplane’s main landing gear contacted the cable, and the airplane entered a rapid descent. The pilot initiated a forced landing in the cotton field, resulting in a hard landing and substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Off-field or emergency landing during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 18,535 hours in all; 1,576 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 18,427 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 27, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 2012; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Double R Flight Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: Colquitt GA at 1:25 pm
- Destination: Colquitt GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KBIJ, 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
7 documents, released by the NTSB on December 10, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement to FAA | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Record - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum of Record - Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1: Picture of Airplane at Accident Site - Courtesy of FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2: Picture of Airplane at Accident Site - Courtesy of FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N502PB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Air Tractor Inc AT-502 502 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-34AG 272 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,804 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13CA033.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.