Air Tractor INC AT-602 accident near Fremont, Ohio, May 25, 2025
On May 25, 2025 at about 4:14 pm local time, a 2016 Air Tractor INC AT-602, registered N260LA, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Fremont, Ohio (Gibbs Fiel 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate takeoff performance planning, which resulted in a runway overrun and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2025 · about 4:14 pm local time
- Place
- Fremont, Ohio · Gibbs Fiel · 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 NO SERIES, built 2016 · all AT-602s on the register
- Registration
- N260LA · registry record · serial 602-1268
- 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 of the aerial application airplane reported that the airplane was near its maximum gross weight with chemicals and fuel onboard. He attempted to take off from a turf and asphalt runway that was 2,650 ft long, beginning with asphalt and then becoming turf about one-third down the runway. The pilot further stated that all engine parameters looked normal during the takeoff roll, but when he attempted to rotate, the airplane did not leave the ground. As the airplane neared the end of the runway, he “pulled” the airplane into the air to clear an 8-ft dike at the end of the runway. The airplane cleared the dike but then settled into a marshy area beyond it, contacting trees and coming to rest upright. The airplane’s fuselage and empennage were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that in the future, when winds are variable, it would be wise to re-assess airplane loading.
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
- Runway excursion during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Performance calculations › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,433 hours in all; 1,495 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 4,353 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,907 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 2025; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 3,907 hours total
- Operator: Gibbs Aero Spray
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 2,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; a few clouds at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm from S24, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KS24 251615Z AUTO 30008KT 10SM FEW036 BKN075 OVC085 17/10 A3027 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA212.