Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Hughes, Arkansas, April 13, 1994
On April 13, 1994 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N9086V, was destroyed in an accident near Hughes, Arkansas. 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
WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLEARANCE FOR UNDETERMINED REASON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 1994 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hughes, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N9086V · no longer on the register · serial 5502-0194
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON THE FIFTH PASS OVER THE FIELD BEING FERTILIZED, THE AGRICULTURAL PILOT BROKE OFF THE PASS MIDFIELD FOR UNKNOWN REASON. THE PILOT LINED UP AGAIN AT THE SAME ROW HE HAD PREVIOUSLY ABANDONED, AND CONTINUED NORMALLY UNTIL THE MID FIELD POINT. THE FLAGMAN OBSERVED PRONOUNCED UP AND DOWN FLUCTUATIONS OF THE ELEVATORS, AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO THE POINT HE DUCKED OUT OF THE AIRPLANE'S WAY. THE PILOT DISCONTINUED THE APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER AS THE AIRPLANE NEARLY IMPACTED WILLOW TREES AT THE END OF THE FIELD. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED EXECUTING A TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION AND IMPACTING THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE WHILE IN A RIGHT TURN. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTING WAS NEGATIVE, AS WERE AUTOPSY FINDINGS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,820 hours in all; 3,180 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 9,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from PBF, 83 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 N9086V 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.