Air Tractor AT 502 N301LA

Summary

On 18 April 2016 at about 14:10 local time, a Air Tractor AT 502 registered N301LA, operated by Pioneer Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Kilbourne, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2016 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Kilbourne, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

32.9997, -91.3150

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 502

Registration

N301LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Pioneer Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pioneer → Pioneer

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA154

1 person died.

The failure of the operator to comply with the terminating action of the airworthiness directive, which resulted in the subsequent failure and separation of the vertical stabilizer due to fatigue.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

**This report was modified on March 23, 2026. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** The commercial pilot was conducting his second spray load application of the day to a field located about 1/4 mile north of the accident site. A farmer stated that the pilot's last passes were to finish spraying a tight area of the field that had trees at the end. A witness near the accident site saw the airplane turn at low altitude and then rapidly descend until ground impact. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the wreckage and ground scars revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a steep, nose-down attitude. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, it is unlikely that the pilot's underlying hypertension and LVH contributed to the accident. In December of 2025, the vertical stabilizer of the airplane was located in a wooded area northeast of the location where the main wreckage came to rest. Metallurgical examination of the vertical stabilizer revealed fractured surfaces on both fitting lobes with extensive post-fracture smearing damage. Thumbnail shaped areas contained macro features consistent with fatigue cracking which emanated from the forward face of the attach plate. A service letter and airworthiness directive required periodic examination of the vertical fin front spar fitting for cracks with the installation of the steel doubler as a “terminating action.” There was no evidence that the steel doubler had been installed. Maintenance records for the accident airplane were not made available, and investigators were unable to determine if the periodic examination for cracks was accomplished. It is most likely that the vertical stabilizer separated during the aerial application flight due to the progressive fatigue cracking within the front spar fitting. This separation resulted in a loss of airplane control and subsequent impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.