History of Flight
On August 19, 2022, at approximately 1005 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, registration N602PB, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Glendora, Mississippi. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight.
According to the operator’s son, the pilot had planned three flights to spray a target field. Onboard avionics with non-volatile memory recorded that the airplane departed a private airstrip for the first flight at 0912. It flew about 14 miles to the field, performed the application, and returned at 0959. The airplane departed again at 1002 for the second flight, climbing to about 450 ft mean sea level (msl) and flying about 5.6 miles south until data stopped recording approximately 1,650 ft south of the accident location. In the final 30 seconds of data, the airplane climbed from 400 ft to about 575 ft msl and slowed from 116 knots to 102 knots.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane came to rest upright in a cornfield at an elevation of 140 ft, oriented on a 230° heading. All major components were found near the main wreckage. The airplane struck multiple rows of corn at an angle before impacting the ground. The left wingtip red-light lens cover was found near the first ground impact scar. The first vegetation strike was about 155 ft from the main wreckage, and an odor of fuel was present.
The fuselage remained intact with the empennage attached. The left horizontal stabilizer leading edge was dented; the right horizontal stabilizer was bent aft and wrinkled about 1 ft from the attach point. Elevators and trim tabs were attached and moved freely. Flight control continuity was confirmed for elevator and rudder. The right wing remained attached but bent aft; the right aileron had impact damage. The left wingtip was separated about 140 ft before the main wreckage; the outboard 20 ft of the left wing was impact-damaged and bent aft. Aileron control continuity was confirmed through multiple overload breaks. The emergency dump handle was found in the “closed” position.
The engine remained attached to its mounts. The front reduction gearbox was impact-separated and remained attached to the propeller hub, with remnants of its flange attached to the engine. Multiple gear teeth exhibited rotational scoring. The 2nd stage power turbine was intact, with one blade tip separated at the site. Multiple turbine blades had trailing edge damage, and rotational scoring was noted on the power turbine case. Sections of the exhaust duct showed torsional/compression damage.
The airplane was equipped with a five-blade Hartzell controllable pitch propeller. Two blades were impact-separated from the hub and found along the debris path; three remained attached. Multiple blades were bent opposite the direction of travel and had chordwise scratching; one blade exhibited leading edge gouging.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office determined the pilot’s cause of death as blunt force injuries, with no significant natural disease identified.
Toxicology testing detected meclizine at 21.6 ng/mL in femoral blood and in urine. Meclizine is an over-the-counter antihistamine used to prevent motion sickness or treat vertigo. Its therapeutic range is 10 to 100 ng/mL, with a half-life of about 5 to 6 hours. Meclizine can cause drowsiness and may impair ability to perform hazardous tasks. The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits its use within 36 hours of flying or chronically.
Pre-event medical records showed the pilot had a history of recurrent sinusitis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. At his most recent visit on December 16, 2021, he reported congestion with episodes of vertiginous dizziness.