Air Tractor 502 accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi, June 4, 1998
On June 4, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor 502, registered N1502U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clarksdale, Mississippi (Mascot Planting CO. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to extend the flaps for takeoff. A factor was his diverted attention to the loading of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksdale, Mississippi · Mascot Planting CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor 502
- Registration
- N1502U · registry record · serial 502-0139
- 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 pilot stated that he had became distracted by the loader placing a greater amount into the hopper than the previous loads, and as a result, he failed to extend the flaps for takeoff. During the takeoff roll he noted that the airplane was not becoming airborne where it previously had, but thought this was due to the increased load. The airplane went off the end of the runway into a field, collapsing the right main landing gear.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,794 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 4,647 as pilot in command; 148 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,094 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 13, 1998; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA98LA178.