Air Tractor AT-402 accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, March 17, 1997
On March 17, 1997 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402, registered N1524R, was destroyed in an accident near Pine Bluff, 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
failure of the pilot to see-and-avoid the tower. The proximity of the tower was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1997 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402
- Registration
- N1524R · registry record · serial 402-0845
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane was being flown to a field of winter wheat for application of fertilizer. When it was about 1/4 mile north of the field, the right wing of the airplane impacted an antenna tower. The outboard section of the right wing was severed by the impact, and the airplane then entered an uncontrolled descent and collided with the ground. According to the operator, the pilot was familiar with the area and had worked this field previously. Toxicology tests of the pilot's blood showed 0.642 mcg/ml fluoxetine (Prozac, an antidepressant), 0.676 mcg/ml norfluoxetine (metabolite of fluoxetine), and an undetermined amount of tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (metabolite of marihuana) and phenylpropanolamine. Tests of his urine showed 0.020 mcg/ml tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid and an undetermined amount of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine. Fluoxetine was not approved by the FAA for this pilot's use while flying.
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: 6,950 hours in all; 2,431 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,415 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,201 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5AR3 Wabbaseka AR at 8:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from PBF, 6 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 N1524R 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.