Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas, May 28, 1999
On May 28, 1999 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N4533H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent stall due to his evasive maneuver to avoid colliding with a truck on the runway. A factor was the runway incursion by the truck.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1999 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Cherry Valley, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N4533H · registry record · serial 502-0105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane stalled and impacted terrain after the pilot prematurely pulled the airplane off the ground during the takeoff roll to avoid colliding with a truck that entered the airstrip. The pilot reported that the elevated dirt airstrip was also used as an access road. The hopper was filled with a load of rice seed to be dispensed on a nearby field, and the airplane had been topped off with fuel. The airplane's takeoff ground roll for the previous flight had been much shorter due to the lighter load and cooler temperature. The 14,232-hour pilot reported that soon after the tail wheel came off the ground, he observed a white pickup entering the airstrip/road. The driver of the pickup truck, who was also the farmer whose fields were being seeded, had observed previous takeoffs, but was not aware of how the airplane was loaded for this flight.
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: 14,232 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 200 in the last 30 days; 14,109 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from JBR, 27 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 N4533H 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.