Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Mendota, California, July 23, 2004
On July 23, 2004 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N5010E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mendota, California (Agricultural Airstrip airport). 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 inadequate preflight/pretakeoff procedure by not lowering the wing flaps, which resulted in an inadvertent stall as the pilot attempted to climb out of ground effect to clear a corn crop at the end of the runway. A factor in the accident was the failure, for undetermined reasons, of the flaps to deploy during the takeoff roll when the pilot moved the switch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2004 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mendota, California · Agricultural Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N5010E · no longer on the register · serial 502B-0414
- 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 airplane collided with high vegetation and terrain during the initial climb from a dirt airstrip on an agricultural application flight. Prior to takeoff, the pilot failed to lower the wing flaps to the 10-degree setting that he had utilized on his previous takeoffs from the airstrip. While on the takeoff roll, the pilot realized that he had not configured the airplane with the flap setting he was accustomed to using, and he attempted to extend the flaps. Despite his attempts, the flaps remained in the retracted position for undetermined reasons. With about 20 feet of runway remaining, the pilot attempted to release the load. However, he tried but failed to deploy the cargo dump handle. The airplane lifted off the runway but was unable to gain enough altitude to clear the nearby 5- to 6-foot-tall corn crop. After impacting the corn, the airplane stalled, impacted the ground, and cartwheeled three times before coming to a stop inverted.
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: 20,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: August 7, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,538 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 2004; 233 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mendota CA at 12:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.