Air Tractor AT-802A accident near Elko, Nevada, August 19, 1999
On August 19, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-802A, registered N9190G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elko, Nevada. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure to maintain an adequate terrain/obstacle clearance altitude margin while engaged in fire fighting operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-802A
- Registration
- N9190G · no longer on the register · serial 006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a fire retardant application run. He successfully dropped half his load on the fire and went around for another run. On the second pass, the aircraft encountered a strong downdraft as it neared the release point and the pilot recovered at a low altitude. During this process, the left outer wing collided with the top of a juniper tree. The pilot returned to Elko and landed. The most outboard 4 feet of the wing leading edge was crushed aft with rib damage.
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: 12,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,449 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1999; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Dept Of Interior, Blm
The flight
- Departed from: EKO at 9:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from EKO
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.