NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN21LA005
Registry · N4540F
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402
Year of manufacture
1990 · 30 years old at event
TCDS
A17SW · AIR TRACTOR INC
Engine
P&W PT6A SERIES (500 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19901106
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A58356
Registrant of record
WOODLEY AERIAL LEASING LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
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
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or 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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