Air Tractor Inc AT-802A N802KC and Air Tractor Inc AT-502B N8516K accident near New Madrid, Missouri

Probable cause

The failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other airplane, which resulted in a midair collision.

NTSB analysis

The AT-802A was returning to the airport after an aerial application flight and the AT-502B had just departed the airport and was flying to a field to begin an aerial application flight. The airplanes collided about 2-½ miles north of the airport. The AT-802A was on a south-southwesterly heading and the AT-502B was on a north-northeasterly heading when they collided nearly head-on separating the right main landing gear on the AT-502B and the vertical stabilizer on the AT-802A. The AT-502B returned to the departure airport where it landed uneventfully while the AT-802A descended, and impacted the terrain and a utility pole prior to coming to rest. There was no known communication between the two airplanes that were being operated by the same company.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11LA296 for the full record.