20260212000872A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Air Tractor AT-502B · Sulphur, LA · February 12, 2026

Date: February 12, 2026 · 12:19 local
Place: Sulphur, LA
Airport: Southland Field
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: KGRG
Collision: Midair collision
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N598LA
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN26LA118
Reported as: Air Tractor AT-502B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,459 total618 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

N598LARegistered now · Air Tractor AT-502BS/N 502B-2598 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-502B

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.

Aircraft was performing aerial application work south of an non towered uncontrolled airport and was using airport to reload aircraft.

Aircraft was returning unannounced to a non towered uncontrolled airport for resupply and was directly approaching runway to land, when it was hit from behind by another aerial application aircraft attempting to land on the same runway.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING AERIAL APPLICATION WORK SOUTH OF AN NON TOWERED UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT AND WAS USING AIRPORT TO RELOAD AIRCRAFT.

AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING UNANNOUNCED TO A NON TOWERED UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT FOR RESUPPLY AND WAS DIRECTLY APPROACHING RUNWAY TO LAND, WHEN IT WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER AERIAL APPLICATION AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON THE SAME RUNWAY.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CEN26LA118Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedInvestigation openSulphur, LAFeb 12, 2026 · 2 aircraft · Substantial damage

Other aircraft in the event · 1

Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.

N254LAAir Tractor AT-502AAccident 20260212000862A · Substantial damage

Other reports on N598LA · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20121017023699AManeuver · Portales, NMOn October 17, 2012, at approximately 16:04CDT, an Air tractor AT-502, N598LA struck power lines while conducting aerial agriculture spray operations. The aircraft was approaching the field east of Portales, new Mexico from the south and struck the wires in a…Oct 17, 2012 · Substantial damage