History of Flight
On June 16, 2020, at about 0730 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B, registration N879JA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atmore, Alabama. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight.
According to the pilot's spouse, he had departed earlier that morning to dispense two small loads of aerial application. Upon returning home, he called and asked her to come outside to watch the airplane fly over. She reported that the airplane flew over the house before making a climb straight up. It then banked to the left, rolled right, descended straight down, and she heard a loud impact shortly thereafter.
Two witnesses fishing on a nearby lake observed the airplane flying below the tree line before it climbed straight up. They noted 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 locating the wreckage.
Airplane and Wreckage Information
A review of the airplane's maintenance records did not reveal any discrepancies that required further review.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector responded to the accident site with local authorities to document the wreckage. Photographs showed the wreckage 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.