Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Newport, Arkansas, June 19, 2001
On June 19, 2001 at about 1:00 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N6082B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newport, Arkansas. 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 loss of control during takeoff initial climb as a result of encountering wake turbulence due to the pilot's failure to recognize the hazard and delay the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2001 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Newport, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N6082B · no longer on the register · serial 502B-0274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff from a grass airstrip behind another agricultural airplane of the same type, the agricultural airplane encountered wake turbulence. The pilot turned the airplane to the left to "try and get out of it." The airplane's left wing and left main landing gear struck the ground, the airplane bounced on its right wing, and landed on its empennage. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest upright in a field. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had waited "about one more minute" before taking off.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 6,808 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 300 in the last 30 days; 6,550 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 17, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,222 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2001; 132 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Newport AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,500 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N6082B 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.