- Date
- November 5, 2025, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gueydan, LA · ag field
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7315LAir Tractor AT-502
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20251105020419A
- Case key
- 201962
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’s failure to maintain situational awareness and clearance from terrain while maneuvering to avoid birds.
Findings · 3
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 took evasive action to avoid birds during an agricultural application flight. He had completed an application pass and was in a turn to set up for the next pass when he encountered the birds. The pilot noted that he lost situational awareness and inadvertently impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that affected normal operation of the airplane before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7315L
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502-0006
- Built
- 1987
- Airframe hours
- 14,629.8
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Coco Aviation LLC, doing business as Coco Aviation
- Registered owner
- Coco Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 2025 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Plauncheville, AL
- Destination
- PVT · Plauncheville, AL
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device
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
- 51
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 13, 2025
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15,826 total · 7,826 in this make and model · 15,778 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KIYA, 23 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KIYA 052135Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 26/16 A3012 RMK AO2
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.2 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.
Other investigations on N7315L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.