Air Tractor INC AT 802 accident near Prentiss, Mississippi, February 28, 2017
On February 28, 2017 at about 7:45 pm local time, a 2010 Air Tractor INC AT 802, registered N422BR, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Prentiss, Mississippi (Prentiss-Jefferson Davis Count airport). It was a positioning 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 decision to take off with a gusting tailwind and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2017 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Prentiss, Mississippi · Prentiss-Jefferson Davis Count · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT 802 A, built 2010 · all AT 802s on the register
- Registration
- N422BR · no longer on the register · serial 802A-0362
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during takeoff in gusting tailwind conditions, as the tailwheel lifted, the airplane drifted to the left and off the runway. He aborted the takeoff and applied "maximum braking" and reverse thrust. During the runway excursion, the airplane impacted a ditch and spun 180°. The pilot added that, as he exited the cockpit, he observed "dark smoke coming from the exhaust and cowling with smoldering burning grass." He reported that he discharged the onboard fire extinguisher into the engine exhaust, main landing gear, and grass. He added that hydraulic fluid leaking from a severed brake line and fuel leaking from the cowl and lower right wing were feeding the postimpact fire. Shortly thereafter, the local volunteer fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was from 180º at 15 knots, gusting to 28 knots. The closest automated weather observation station, located about 38 nautical miles from the accident site, recorded wind from 180° at 14 knots, gusting to 22 knots. The airplane took off from runway 30.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,106 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 11,048 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 8, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,880 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 31, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-67AG (turboprop); 2,900 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Airbourn Aviation LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: M43 Prentiss MS at 6:45 pm
- Destination: LUL Laurel MS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KMCB, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.