ERA20LA217

According to the pilot's spouse, he departed earlier on the morning of the accident to dispense two small “loads" of aerial application. On his return home, he called and asked her to come outside of their residence to watch the airplane fly over. She said that the airplane flew over the house before making a climb straight up. The airplane then banked to the left, rolled right, descended straight down, and she heard a loud "boom" shortly thereafter. Two witnesses who were fishing on a nearby lake saw the airplane flying below the tree line before it climbed straight up. They stated that the airplane rolled and descended straight down nose-first. They heard a "loud thud" and then silence. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin and loss of control.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 16, 2020, about 0730 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B, N879JA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Atmore, Alabama. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. According to the pilot's spouse, he departed earlier on the morning of the accident to dispense two small “loads" of aerial application. On his return home, he called and asked her to come outside of their residence to watch the airplane fly over. She said that the airplane flew over the house before making a climb straight up. The airplane then banked to the left, rolled right, descended straight down, and she heard a loud “boom" shortly thereafter. Two witnesses who were fishing on a nearby lake saw the airplane flying below the tree line before it climbed straight up. They said that the airplane rolled and descended straight down nose-first. They subsequently heard the sound of impact and then silence. The witnesses contacted emergency services and assisted local responders in finding the wreckage. AIRPLANE INFORMATION A review of the airplane’s maintenance records did not reveal any discrepancies that required further review. WRECKAGE INFORMATION A Federal Aviation Administration inspector responded to the accident site with local authorities to document the wreckage. Review of photos revealed that the wreckage was in a heavily wooded area at the base of a tree. Tree branches displayed freshly cut propeller marks and propeller paint transfers. The nose and the engine were buried in the soil at the base of the tree. All flight control surfaces were located at the accident site. Examination of the airframe and engine at the recovery facility did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION According to the autopsy performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Mobile, Alabama, the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Services Laboratory identified no evidence of impairing drugs.