History of Flight
On July 22, 2024, at about 1830 eastern daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602 airplane, registration N602WR, was substantially damaged during an accident near Oxford, Indiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application operation.
According to the airplane owner and operator, the pilot was spraying two fields near the accident site. The aircraft departed with full fuel tanks and a fully loaded hopper containing liquid applicant. Onboard GPS data revealed departure from the operator's private runway at 1741, proceeding north. The pilot began spraying two fields at about 1752. Immediately before the accident, the pilot was completing a west-to-east trim pass on the south side of the northern field. The recorded GPS data ended near the end of the trim pass. The accident site was located in a soybean field approximately 0.5 nautical mile east of the field being sprayed. Other flight track data indicated that after the trim pass, the airplane made a climbing left turn toward the accident site, with the final recorded point about 0.1 nautical mile southwest of the impact location.
Aircraft Information
A review of the airplane's maintenance records showed no outstanding maintenance discrepancies. The Air Tractor AT-602 airplane flight manual (AFM) stated that flaps may be used as a turning aid with small deflections of 5 to 8 degrees. It described the typical method: making the pull-up and initial bank with flaps retracted, then briefly extending flaps during the bank to facilitate the turn while reducing back pressure, and retracting flaps when aligning for the next pass.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted inverted in a nose-down attitude and came to rest on a heading of 137°. A small postimpact fire occurred, which was extinguished by first responders; fire damage was limited to the aft portion of the engine compartment. All components were located in the immediate vicinity, with no debris field or crop disturbance leading to the main wreckage.
The top of the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, rudder, both wing leading edges, and upper wing skins were crushed downward relative to the airframe, which remained upright. Flight controls were traced from the cockpit to the control surfaces through impact damage and overload separations. The flap actuator was intact and extended to a position corresponding to full flap extension of 28°.
The engine remained attached to the engine mount, which sustained significant damage and segmentation. The left-side exhaust duct exhibited torsional buckling consistent with torque production; the right-side duct was slightly buckled. The propeller assembly was partially embedded, with two blades visible and three buried. The propeller remained attached to the flange and reduction gearbox, and blades remained attached to the hub. Blades exhibited compound bend and twist progression from forward to aft in the sequence of rotation, consistent with producing thrust during impact.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The SATLOC GPS unit was recovered and downloaded, recording the accident flight and indicating when the spray function was active. The engine's FAST box was recovered, but its memory was full and had not recorded new data since September 2019, so no accident flight data was obtained.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist for the Benton County Coroner listed the cause of death as multiple injuries and the manner as accident. The autopsy identified coronary artery disease with 75% narrowing of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery by plaque, an enlarged heart with right ventricular dilatation and mild left ventricular hypertrophy. Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse.