20220803007949A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-502B · Melville, LA · August 3, 2022

Date
August 3, 2022 · 08:30 local
Place
Melville, LA
Airport
Yankee Field
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N41850
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN22LA359
Reported as
Air Tractor AT-502B
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
13,000 total6,500 in this make and model311 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Making fourth pass applying insecticide to soybead field. Heard loud bang, when aircraft came to a stop. Exited the aircraft as it was on fire. I then realized the loud bang was the aircraft had struck a dead tree that I did not see.

As the FAA filed it

MAKING FOURTH PASS APPLYING INSECTICIDE TO SOYBEAD FIELD. HEARD LOUD BANG, WHEN AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP. EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AS IT WAS ON FIRE. I THEN REALIZED THE LOUD BANG WAS THE AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK A DEAD TREE THAT I DID NOT SEE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.