Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Petronila, Texas, June 26, 1993
On June 26, 1993 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N1504Q, was destroyed in an accident near Petronila, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED, WHILE MANEUVERING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: HIS LACK OF ALTITUDE FOR RECOVERY FROM THE STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 1993 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Petronila, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N1504Q · no longer on the register · serial 502-0141
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED DURING SEVERAL SWATH RUNS AND TURN-AROUND MANUEVERS, AS IT WAS MAKING STEEPER TURNS AND CLIMBING HIGHER WITH EACH TURN-AROUND. AT ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED ROLLING TO AN INVERTED POSITION. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE PILOT STARTED TO PULL THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE MANEUVER, BUT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALTITUDE. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED FLAT, WHILE STILL IN A STEEP DESCENT ANGLE.
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: 15,431 hours in all; 1,150 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,527 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 1993; 363 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15A-C (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XS66 Robstown TX at 7:00 pm
- Destination: XS66
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CRP, 22 miles away
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 N1504Q 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.