NTSB CEN21LA005 — 2020-10-02 · Egypt, Arkansas, United States

Current FAA registration · N4540F

Make / Model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402
Year of manufacture: 1990 · 30 years old at event
Engine: P&W PT6A SERIES (500 hp)
Seats / Engines: 1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19901106
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A58356

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4540F Air Tractor AT402 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a tree limb during a low-level aerial application flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot was flying an aerial application pass to a rice field when the right wing struck a tree limb at the edge of the field. After the collision, the airplane was “descending slowly and trying to roll.” He executed a forced landing to an open field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN21LA005.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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