Air Tractor AT-502A N887LA

Summary

On 18 May 2021 at about 18:25 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502A registered N887LA, operated by Ferriday Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Clayton, Louisiana, 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

18 May 2021 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Clayton, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

31.8011, -91.5869

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-502A

Registration

N887LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Ferriday Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farriday → Farriday

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA223

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of airplane control resulting in an aerodynamic stall while executing a steep turnaround during an aerial application flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the day of the accident, the pilot had already completed several aerial application flights and was in the process of spraying product on a target field. Witnesses stated that the airplane had just completed a spray pass and was turning around. During the turn, the airplane pitched up and rolled left into a steep bank. One witness stated that it looked like the pilot, “didn’t pull out of a barrel roll.” The airplane “fell out of the sky” and impacted the ground inverted. Data extracted from the airplane’s GPS failed to record the last 30 seconds of the flight, likely as a result of a recording latency. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not revealed any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot failing to maintain airplane control while maneuvering in the turn at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Although toxicology testing detected diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine, in the pilot’s urine, operational evidence of any impairment is inconclusive. Therefore, whether the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine contributed to the accident could not be determined from the available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.