- Date
- August 3, 2022, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Melville, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N41850Air Tractor AT-502B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220803007949A
- Case key
- 105659
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot improperly monitored the operating environment which resulted in a collision with a tree located in the middle of a field.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was applying insecticide to a soybean field when he heard a loud bang. Shortly thereafter, the airplane impacted terrain. The pilot, who momentarily lost consciousness, realized the loud bang was caused when the airplane impacted a tree located in the middle of the field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41850
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502B-2703
- Airframe hours
- 6,296
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Aerial Crop Care Inc
- Registered owner
- Aerial Crop Care Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 20, 2022
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 6,500 in this make and model · 13,000 as pilot in command · 315 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 24, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.