CEN21LA113

Based on recorded data, the pilot of the aerial application flight maneuvered the airplane around the intended field to be sprayed prior to the accident. The wreckage was found near the field along with powerlines/poles, which exhibited features of an in-flight collision by the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation. Based on the available evidence, the reason the airplane impacted the powerlines, poles, and terrain could not be determined. The pilot’s cardiovascular disease placed him at increased risk of acute impairment and incapacitation. However, available medical evidence is insufficient to establish whether acute impairment or incapacitation occurred and in the absence of clear operational evidence, it could not be determined whether the pilot’s cardiovascular disease contributed to the crash. Based on the available evidence, the reason the airplane impacted the powerlines, poles, and terrain could not be determined.

The airplane was equipped with a Satloc G4, an aerial guidance system for aerial application. Data from the device started at 1419:06 and ended at 1428:21. The system stored data in a 10- to 20-second buffer prior to being recorded, which resulted in the last recorded data point being about 1 mile away from the accident site. Information recovered captured the airplane as it overflew the edges of the target field in a clockwise direction. The accident sequence was not captured. On January 19, 2021, about 1435 central standard time, an Air Tractor AT-802A airplane, N523BB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident during an aerial application flight near Newellton, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. The wreckage was found along a road by a passing motorist and reported to law enforcement. There are no known witnesses to the accident. An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Louisiana Forensic Center, Broussard, Louisiana. The case of death was a result of blunt force injuries. The manner of death was an accident. The autopsy did note that the pilot’s heart weighed 600 grams and the pericardial sac was free of significant fluid or adhesions. The coronary arteries had evidence of moderate to severe atherosclerosis but no thrombosis. There was a stent in the circumflex and up to 50% stenosis of the native coronary arteries. The myocardium was red-brown, firm with no focal lesions; there were lacerations of the heart. Toxicology was conducted on samples from the pilot. Testing was positive for the presence of atorvastatin, which had been reported on the pilot’s Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate application. The airplane wreckage was in a wooded area approximately 10 miles northwest of Newellton, Louisiana, and about 70 ft west of highway LA-888. The field the pilot was intending to spray was located to the east of LA-888. Power lines ran along the northern and western edges of the target field. Impact signatures were consistent with the airplane having impacted two power distribution poles and lines along the western edge of the field. Propeller strike marks were found at the center of the highway, followed by a 20 ft long ground scar that ran along the western edge of the highway. Overall, the debris field followed a 347° magnetic heading. The airplane’s Amsafe Inflatable Restraints deployed during the accident. An examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.