Air Tractor AT-802 N581LA

Summary

On 26 February 2018 at about 23:18 local time, a Air Tractor AT-802 registered N581LA, operated by AG Concepts Inc, was involved in an accident near Greenwood, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 February 2018 at 23:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Greenwood, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

33.5067, -90.2700

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-802

Registration

N581LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

AG Concepts Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Morgan City → Morgan City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

ERA18FA088

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting aerial application operations on two fields with which he was familiar. He completed the treatment of one field, which comprised three separate flights, then returned to the operator's facility, where the airplane was fueled and chemicals were loaded for the second field. After takeoff, the airplane proceeded to the field, where one witness noticed the airplane making spray passes from east to west, then heard what he described as two nearly simultaneous, "loud/hard" sounds similar to that of the sound of dynamite. A second witness reported hearing the sound of the impact; he did not hear any unusual sound from the airplane. There were no witnesses to the impact. The airplane's right wing impacted a tree about 40 ft above ground level while the airplane was flying in a left bank of less than 30°. The airplane then impacted the ground inverted about 515 ft from the tree. Examination of the engine, propeller, and flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Toxicology and autopsy of the pilot revealed no evidence of impairment or incapacitation. Based on the available information, the reason for the impact with the tree could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.