Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Avon, Mississippi, February 18, 2005
On February 18, 2005 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N9114W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avon, Mississippi (Private/Longwood 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 failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude, resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush, and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2005 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Avon, Mississippi · Private/Longwood · 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
- N9114W · no longer on the register · serial 502B-0558
- 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 impacted terrain while conducting aerial application operations. The pilot stated that he began a turn to the left, followed by another turn to the right, when all of a sudden, the airplane started sinking rapidly. He said he pushed the throttle and propeller controls all the way forward, but it did not do any good. The airplane continued to sink rapidly, and it impacted the ground, sliding about 75 yards and impacting a grain bin, before coming to rest. In April, 2005, a Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigator along with representatives from Pratt & Whitney, Canada, examined the accident airplane's engine and accessories at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Quebec, Canada. The examination revealed information consistent with the engine generating power at impact, and no anomalies were noted to exist.
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: 18,124 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,667 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004; 568 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Avon MS at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from GWO
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 N9114W 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.