Air Tractor AT-502B N6112D accident near Wheatley, Arkansas

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent low-altitude aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was making an aerial application run when the airplane stalled and impacted the terrain in a nose-low attitude. A witness reported seeing the airplane make its spray runs and; “nothing [appeared] out of the ordinary.” The witness, who had his back to the airplane, continued with his work then he heard a loud “pop”. As he turned around, he believed he saw a large spray of water when the airplane hit standing water. The witness also reported that the airplane’s engine noise stopped immediately, when he heard the “pop”. An examination of the engine found that the engine was producing mid-to-high power at the time of impact. Additionally, the flap jackscrew was found extended; which corresponded to a full flaps down setting. The airframe manufacturer noted that there is not an approved procedure for making application turns with flaps fully extended. The commercial pilot had a total of 356 flight-hours, of which about 70-hours were in the accident airplane. Examination of the airplane and engine did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DFW08LA143 for the full record.