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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2012 · about 2:00 pm local time
- 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
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.