Air Tractor AT-400 accident near Marmaduke, Arkansas, October 2, 2002
On October 2, 2002 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-400, registered N155HF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marmaduke, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A contributing factor was the towering cumulus in all quadrants.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2002 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marmaduke, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Registration
- N155HF · no longer on the register · serial 0488
- 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 the aerial application flight, two fields were being sprayed from east to the west with a set of power lines running north and south between the fields. The pilot would fly the airplane over the power lines and then descend to spray the field. During the accident swath descent to spray the east field, the airplane struck the ground. The pilot and local authorities reported that the winds were "strong" from the southwest. The weather observation facility, located approximately 22 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, reported the wind from 250 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 4,000 feet agl and a broken ceiling at 5,500 feet agl, temperature 31 degrees Celsius, dew point 22 degrees Celsius, an altimeter setting of 30.01 inches of Mercury, and towering cumulus clouds in all quadrants.
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: 11,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 2002; 400 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Marmaduke AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from JBR, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N155HF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 FTW03LA004.