Air Tractor AT-502 accident near Narrogin, Australia, Au, October 3, 2009
On October 3, 2009 at about 11:30 am local time, a Air Tractor AT-502, registered VHODP, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Narrogin, Australia. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 2009 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Narrogin, Australia, Australia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- VHODP · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 3, 2009, at 1130 Western Standard Time, an Air Tractor AT-502, VH-ODP, operated by Agricair Pty Limited, as an agricultural flight collided with the ground while maneuvering 47 Km east northeast of Narrogin, Australia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The flight originated from Wikepin, Australia, at an unknown time. Australian investigators reported that the airplane took off from a paddock on a property to conduct agricultural spraying operations. A short time later, the owner of the property discovered the wreckage, which had impacted the ground in an inverted attitude. There were no witnesses to the accident. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by ATSB. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) P.O. Box 967, Civic Square Canberra, A.C.T. 2608 Australia Investigator-In-Charge: John Donnellan Phone: +61262747439 Fax: +61262746434
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering defining event
Crew member
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Wikepin
- Destination: Wikepin
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.