Air Tractor AT502 N599LA
16 April 2019 · Morganza, Louisiana, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 April 2019 at about 12:50 local time, a Air Tractor AT502 registered N599LA, operated by Aerial Crop Care Inc, was involved in an accident near Morganza, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Morganza, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Frey Farms
- Coordinates
- 30.7225, -91.6481
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT502
- Registration
- N599LA
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2000
- Operator
- Aerial Crop Care Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Port Barre → Morganza
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR19LA112
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of aircraft control due to the separation of the elevator pushrod attachment bolt.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While performing an aerial application flight, the pilot heard a loud noise, followed by the nose of the airplane pitching up. The pilot applied full forward pressure on the flight control stick with no response. He then reduced the power to arrest the climb. A company employee who witnessed the accident reported that the airplane pitched up dramatically, hesitated, and then pitched almost straight nose-down before it impacted the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the aluminum elevator pushrod was disconnected from the forward idler and that the attachment bolt was missing. The missing attachment bolt was later found undamaged in the wreckage and no additional anomalies were noted with the airplane or engine. It is likely the noise the pilot heard was the attachment bolt separating from elevator pushrod. After the separation, the pilot would have had little to no elevator control, which is consistent with his description of the accident sequence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT502 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Sumner, Iowa, United States | Air Advantage Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Onida, South Dakota, United States | Wilbur Ellis Air Llc | No injuries | - |
| 31 May 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Rockford, Ohio, United States | Neal Aircraft Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Olney, Texas, United States | Lane Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | Monument, Kansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2019 | Air Tractor AT502 | San Benito, Texas, United States | Sun Valley Dusting Co | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun 2019 | Aeronca 65 C | Gilliam, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2019 | Cessna 140 | Reeves, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2019 | Piper PA 22 | Pollock, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Pitts S2 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Drug Fighter LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 18 Aug 2019 | Cessna U206 | Hopedale, Louisiana, United States | Ultra Light Flights LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Mar 2019 | Cessna A185 | Lafayette, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |