AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B — Kinston, NC

What happened

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.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.