Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Anguilla, Mississippi, September 16, 1999
On September 16, 1999 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N5092G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anguilla, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The P3 air line disconnected at the P3 air filter housing , and a 'B' nut not being safetied by maintenance personnel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1999 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anguilla, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N5092G · registry record · serial 502B-0515
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an agricultural application flight, the pilot was making a swath run at 10 to 15 feet, when the turbine engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot made a forced landing to a cotton field where the airplane nosed over. Examination revealed the P3 air line at the P3 filter housing was disconnected, and the 'B' nut was not safety wired. The engine maintenance manual stated, 'Make sure the P3 line to the filter and FCU is disconnected before performing a motoring compressor wash to avoid contamination...' The airframe and power plant mechanic who performed the last recorded 200 hour maintenance inspection stated he did not remove the P3 air line, and that the 'B' nut had slipped through without being safetied.
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
- Flight time: 14,186 hours in all; 6,565 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 14,078 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 904 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT-6-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 14M Hollandale MS at 2:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 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.
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.