Air Tractor 502B accident near Eudora, Arkansas, January 16, 1998
On January 16, 1998 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Air Tractor 502B, registered N6093U, was destroyed in an accident near Eudora, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while attempting an aerobatic manuever
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1998 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Eudora, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 502B
- Registration
- N6093U · no longer on the register · serial 0359
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the aircraft maneuvering at about 1,500 to 2,500 feet. One witness reported the aircraft appeared as though it was going to do a 'loop;' however, it 'stalled.' At one point it looked as though the aircraft would just roll out and continue flying, but the 'right wing appeared to stall' and the aircraft entered into 'an inverted flat spin.' At about 200 to 300 feet agl, the aircraft nosed over to a more vertical position at which time the aircraft went behind some trees. A witness reported that the 'engine never stopped running.' No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation.
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: 5,390 hours in all; 1,970 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 5,324 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 959 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1997; 900 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 8:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.