Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Plainview, Texas, October 25, 2002
On October 25, 2002 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N602GB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainview, Texas. 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 with the wires. Contributing factors were the low ceilings and the prevailing haze.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2002 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plainview, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Registration
- N602GB · registry record · serial 602-04250
- 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 agricultural airplane reported that he had just completed spraying a field and climbed a few hundred feet to program the on-board GPS prior to proceeding to the next field to be sprayed. He further stated that while en route to the next field, the leading edge of the right wing collided with a guy wire from a recently erected 756-foot radio station transmitter tower at the 500-foot level. He reported that the impact with the guy wire resulted in a momentary loss of control and the airplane abruptly turned about 90 degrees. The pilot maintained control of the airplane and made an uneventful precautionary landing in an open wheat field approximately one mile southeast of the tower. The tower was not depicted in the Sectional Chart,; however, it was listed in the current Aeronautical Chart Bulletin in the Airport/Facility Directory. The weather at the time of the accident was reported at 1,100 feet overcast, with a visibility of 4 miles in haze.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,500 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 25, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,385 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-40 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F98 Plains TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 pm from PVW
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 N602GB 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.