Accident Details
On June 21, 2024, at approximately 1045 mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor Inc AT-802A airplane, registration N331BS, was destroyed in an accident near Capitan, New Mexico. The pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight.
The airplane was the second in a flight of three aircraft that had completed firefighting duties in Texas and were repositioning to Oregon. The pilots planned a refueling stop at Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) in Gallup, New Mexico. Before reaching GUP, the flight encountered weather near the Capitan mountains. The lead airplane and the third airplane climbed and turned east to avoid the weather. The pilot of the third airplane reported that they observed the accident airplane descend to a lower altitude, and its pilot stated that he had located a "VFR corridor."
Subsequently, the lead and third airplanes landed at GUP and realized that the accident airplane had not arrived and was missing. The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and soon issued an Alert Notice for the missing aircraft. Later that afternoon, another airplane located the wreckage approximately 9 miles east-northeast of Capitan.
Wreckage and Site
The accident site was in heavily forested terrain at an elevation of about 7,160 feet mean sea level. The airplane struck several trees and came to rest on its right side. The first identified point of impact was a tree approximately 50 feet tall. The debris path extended about 120 feet and was oriented on a magnetic heading of about 335°. All major structural components of the airplane were found within the debris path.
The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.