ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 264153
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| Date: | Thursday 17 June 2021 |
| Time: | 20:22 |
| Type: |  Air Tractor AT-402B |
| Owner/operator: | Eastern Flying Services Inc |
| Registration: | N402SJ |
| MSN: | 402-1271 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3999 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kinston, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Mount Olive Municipal Airport, NC (W40) |
| Dover, NC | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 17, 2021, at 2022 eastern daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-402B airplane, N402SJ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in Kinston, North Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a positioning flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot had completed a full day of agriculture spraying operations, refueled, then departed to position the airplane back to his home base. The pilot informed a friend that he was going to perform a “flyover” at a drag racing strip that was along the route. Video evidence and multiple witnesses reported seeing the airplane perform an aerobatic maneuver over the drag strip. The aerobatic maneuver captured on video showed the airplane entered a pull-up maneuver while in an inverted attitude. When the airplane reached the top of the climb, a right roll was performed and for a moment, the airplane was in an upright attitude; however, nearly all forward momentum had stopped. The airplane entered a descent, impacted terrain in a nearly 90° nose-low vertical attitude, and exploded. It is likely that, at the top of the climb during the aerobatic maneuver, the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and the entry phase of a spin, and a loss of control ensued.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Several powerplant and propeller signatures were consistent with the engine operating at the time of impact.
The pilot was the president of the agricultural operations business that operated the airplane from an airstrip at his residence. Witnesses reported that in the weeks leading up to the accident, they had observed the accident airplane (most likely piloted by the accident pilot) as it performed low-level aerobatics over the drag racing strip. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot’s decision to perform low-level aerobatics in an airplane not approved for aerobatic flight was a repetitive behavior indicative of a hazardous attitude and poor decision-making.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s decision to conduct low-level aerobatic maneuvers in an airplane not approved for aerobatic flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin, a loss of control, and an impact with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.witn.com/2021/06/18/witnesses-small-plane-crashes-kinston-drag-strip/
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2021/06/18/one-dead-in-plane-crash-at-kinston-drag-strip--reports-say
https://www.wnct.com/local-news/one-person-killed-after-small-plane-crashes-at-kinston-drag-strip/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N402SJ
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Media:
NTSB is investigating the June 17, 2021, crash of an Air Tractor AT 402B airplane near Kinston, North Carolina. An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 18, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jun-2021 13:56 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 18-Jun-2021 14:03 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Embed code] |
| 18-Jun-2021 14:09 | Geno | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 21-Jun-2021 18:54 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Jun-2021 18:54 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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