# NTSB CEN21LA113: Air Tractor AT-802A, N523BB, Newellton, LA, January 19, 2021 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: January 19, 2021, 14:35 local (20:35 UTC) - Place: Newellton, LA - Coordinates: 32.174435, -91.360249 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.1744&lon=-91.3602&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA FSDO, Air Tractor - NTSB case key (mKey): 102534 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21LA113 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102534/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102534 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA113 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines/poles and terrain while maneuvering for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring environment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-802A, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md?model=0390308), [All aircraft, 809 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) (defining event); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-802A, 27 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=0390308), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Air Tractor AT-802A, 27 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=0390308), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis 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. ## Factual narrative 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. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N523BB](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N523BB-2023-04-11), registration cancelled 2023-04-11, S/N 802A-0493, built 2013 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-802A - Registry model: [Air Tractor AT-802A](https://openairdocs.org/model/air-tractor-at-802a) (registry code 0390308) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-65ag) (registry code 52109, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 802A-0493 - Year built: 2013 - Engines: P&W CANADA PT6A-65AG 1300 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Tensas Flying Service LLC - Registered owner: Tensas Flying Service LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Departed: St. Joseph, LA - Equipment: Data recorder ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 68; injuries: fatal; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; seat: single; toxicology performed; flight hours: 30,000 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,000 ft broken - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 43 °F - Altimeter: 30.31 inHg - Observed at: KTVR, 20 nm away - METAR: KTVR 192053Z AUTO 36009KT 10SM BKN060 16/06 A3031 RMK AO2 SLP271 T01610056 55002 $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20210119002089A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210119002089A), Jan 19, 2021: Air Tractor Inc AT-802A, Newellton, LA, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Air tractor N523BB departed [privacy data omitted] at approximately 1400 local to perform an aerial application on a field located near highway 888, Newellton,… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 28, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102534. 4.1 MB in all. - Case findings (item 1, PDF, 3 pages, 212 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14007590&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN21LA113%20Case%20Findings-Rel.pdf - Pilot toxicology (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 570 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14191872&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20tox_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Recorded flight data - specialist's factual report (item 3, PDF, 6 pages, 888 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14054292&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN21LA113%20Recorded%20Flight%20Data%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Rel.pdf - Attachment 1 to recorded flight data - specialist's factual report (item 4, CSV, 256 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14056265&FileExtension=csv&FileName=CEN21LA113%20Attachment%201%20to%20Recorded%20Flight%20Data%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Rel.csv - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 5, PDF, 1 page, 80 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14192352&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=doc01058220220128094045_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Statement of party representatives to NTSB investigation (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14195612&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Air%20Tractor%20Party%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.