Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial application flight.
NTSB analysis
The private pilot was maneuvering the airplane above a crop field during an aerial application flight. Upon entering the field from the south, the pilot misjudged the airplane’s distance from power lines and struck a power line. He subsequently lost control of the airplane, which impacted terrain and came to rest inverted, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane or engine.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13CA019 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 17, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Portales, New Mexico
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Air Tractor Inc AT-502B
- N-number
- N598LA
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
Other records under this N-number
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.