On 7 Jun 2019, an Air Tractor AT502 B was involved in an aviation accident near Monument, KS. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude due to distraction by ground equipment in the airplane’s path, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from crops during an agricultural application flight and resulted in a loss of airplane control. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An agricultural application aircraft descended into wheat crop and collided with terrain after the pilot became distracted by ground equipment. The airplane sustained substantial damage to wings, fuselage, and empennage.
Incident Overview
During an agricultural application flight, the pilot was operating the aircraft approximately 10 feet above the ground. The pilot reported becoming distracted by ground equipment located in the airplane's flight path. As a result, the airplane's right main landing gear descended into the wheat crop. Subsequently, the right spray boom also made contact with the crop.
Sequence of Events
Following the contact with the wheat crop, the airplane veered to the right and entered an uncontrolled descent. The aircraft then collided with the ground. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Damage
The accident resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage.
Contributing factors
PilotAltitude — Not attained/maintainedPerformance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained