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CEN25LA140

2025-03-28 · Cash, Arkansas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N41687

Make / Model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A
Year of manufacture
2008 · 17 years old at event
Engine
P&W CANADA PT6A-65AG (1300 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20081219
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4EDFA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from an excavator during low-altitude aerial application operations.

Factual narrative

The aerial application airplane arrived at the field to apply product, and the pilot visually observed an unoccupied excavator parked near the field. The pilot decided to perform a spray pass up to the excavator and then climb over it and continue the spray pass. When the pilot approached the excavator, he misjudged its height, and the left tire impacted the boom arm. After the airplane struck the boom arm, it impacted the ground and slid about 300 yards which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-Perception-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA140.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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