Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Okeechobee, Florida, July 6, 1998
On July 6, 1998 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered N10349, was substantially damaged in an accident near Okeechobee, Florida. 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 improper planning/decision, by failing to ensure the aircraft contained adequate fuel to complete the flight, which led to fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Obstructions (trees and guardrail) in the emergency landing area were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1998 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Okeechobee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N10349 · registry record · serial 502-0079
- 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 while returning to the departure strip after aerial application of chemicals, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. While landing on a road, the aircraft collided with a tree and a guardrail.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,994 hours in all; 340 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,352 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FL at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PGD, 80 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N10349 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: P&W PT6-15AG 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,699 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA98LA188.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.