Casualties unknown

1999-10-07: Air Tractor AT-502B (N61768) — Bay City, TX

Bay City, TX, US

On October 7, 1999, an Air Tractor AT-502B (registration N61768) was involved in an aviation accident near Bay City, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadvertent stall. A factor was the pilot's encounter with the airplane's wake turbulence. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

During the 9th seeding pass turn, an agricultural airplane shuddered, made three uncommanded banks, and impacted terrain. The pilot gave conflicting statements about wake turbulence or propeller malfunction, but post-accident examination revealed no anomalies.

Incident Overview

The accident involved an agricultural airplane conducting seeding operations over a field. After completing the 8th seeding pass, the pilot initiated a turn for the 9th pass. During this turn, the airplane shuddered and performed three uncommanded banks before impacting the terrain.

Pilot Statements

The pilot initially reported that the airplane flew through its own wake turbulence and stalled while in a 60-degree bank to the right. However, in a later statement, the pilot suggested that a propeller malfunction may have caused a loss of control.

Post-Accident Examination

A thorough examination of the airplane's flight controls and propeller was conducted after the accident. No anomalies were found that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft prior to the impact.

Conclusion

The investigation did not determine a definitive cause for the loss of control. The conflicting pilot statements and absence of mechanical discrepancies left the sequence of events unresolved.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001212X19952. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.