Probable cause
The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at low altitude.
NTSB analysis
The airplane had departed on an aerial application flight to apply fertilizer to a nearby rice field. A witness said the airplane made a pass over the field and pitched up to reverse direction for another pass. The airplane then descended and disappeared behind a row of trees. The witness did not see the airplane impact but did hear it hit the ground. A postcrash examination of the airplane at the accident scene indicated that the airplane descended and struck the ground in a near vertical attitude. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies indicative of any systems problems prior to the accident.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN10FA310 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 7, 2010
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Knobel, Arkansas
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Air Tractor AT602
- N-number
- N4184P
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.