Accident Overview
On January 19, 2021, at approximately 1435 central standard time, an Air Tractor AT-802A airplane, registration N523BB, sustained substantial damage during an aerial application flight near Newellton, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was discovered in a wooded area about 10 miles northwest of Newellton and approximately 70 feet west of Highway LA-888. A passing motorist reported the wreckage to law enforcement; there were no known witnesses to the accident. The intended spray field was located east of the highway, with power lines along its northern and western edges. Impact signatures indicated the airplane struck two power distribution poles and their lines along the western edge of the field. Propeller strike marks were found at the center of the highway, followed by a 20-foot-long ground scar along the western edge. The debris field extended on a magnetic heading of 347°.
The airplane's Amsafe Inflatable Restraints deployed during the accident. An examination of the airframe revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Flight Data and Guidance System
The aircraft was equipped with a Satloc G4 aerial guidance system. Data from the device began at 1419:06 and ended at 1428:21. Due to a 10- to 20-second recording buffer, the last recorded data point was approximately 1 mile from the accident site. The recovered data showed the airplane overflying the edges of the target field in a clockwise direction; the accident sequence itself was not captured.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Louisiana Forensic Center determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries and the manner as accident. The pilot's heart weighed 600 grams; the pericardial sac was free of significant fluid or adhesions. The coronary arteries showed moderate to severe atherosclerosis without thrombosis. A stent was present in the circumflex artery, with up to 50% stenosis of the native coronary arteries. The myocardium was red-brown and firm with no focal lesions, though lacerations of the heart were noted.
Toxicological testing on the pilot detected atorvastatin, a medication that had been reported on the pilot's Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate application.