Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Brookland, Arkansas, May 21, 2004
On May 21, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N5013C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brookland, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 power lines while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brookland, 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-602
- Registration
- N5013C · no longer on the register · serial 602-0428
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After applying chemical to a field, the 5,400-hour pilot attempted to maneuver the turbine powered airplane under power lines. During the maneuver, the airplane's vertical stabilizer impacted the power line. The pilot initiated a climb to 200 feet in an attempt to locate a safe landing area. Subsequently, the pilot managed to land the airplane in a rice field without further incident.
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: 5,400 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 5,400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,388 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 22, 2004; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Jonesboro AR at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots, gusting 9
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°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 N5013C 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.