Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Throckmorton, Texas, October 18, 1996
On October 18, 1996 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N4549Z, was destroyed in an accident near Throckmorton, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain clearance of a transmission wire during pullup from a swath run. The proximity of the transmission wire was a related factor. The installation of wire cutter equipment on the landing gear might have prevented or reduced the level of damage or injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 1996 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Throckmorton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N4549Z · no longer on the register · serial 502-0129
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he made an aerial application swath run in a north to south direction. During pull-up from the swath run, the airplane's main landing gear (which were not equipped with wire cutters) caught on an east to west oriented unmarked electrical transmission wire. The pilot further stated that 'the east end of the wire became entangled in the airplane's rudder horn, forcing the airplane into an uncontrolled left turn.' The engine power and the momentum of the airplane were sufficient to 'snap three telephone poles.' Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. A postimpact fire destroyed the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 18,219 hours in all; 4,246 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PTGA-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ONY Olney TX at 10:31 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.