History of Flight
On October 24, 2023, about 0910 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-502B airplane, registration N5180W, was substantially damaged when it struck a power transmission wire and crashed in a wooded area near Vidalia, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the airplane apply seed to a field and then fly east. It entered a climbing right-bank turn, collided with a power transmission wire, and descended into trees. Portions of the airplane were observed falling during the descent.
The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GPSMap 496 and an AgPilotX system, both of which recorded the flight. The AgPilotX provided higher-resolution data. The airplane departed the pilot’s private strip at about 0902 and flew about 8.5 miles to the field to begin the aerial application. The device did not record an in-flight survey of the field. The data showed the airplane flying about 100 ft above ground level (agl) over the field, climbing to about 300 ft agl, and entering a wide right-bank turn. The flight track crossed through transmission wires suspended over the Mississippi River; the distance from the wire strike to the accident site was about 185 yards.
Pilot Information
Pilot records were not located during the investigation. On the pilot’s most recent application for a medical certificate, dated February 7, 2023, he reported accumulating 14,000 total flight hours, with 400 hours logged in the preceding six months.
Meteorological Information
The airplane’s flight path over the field was generally aligned with a 137° magnetic heading before it began its right turn. At the time of the accident, the sun was positioned at about 120° with a relative elevation of 22° above the horizon.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was located in a wooded area. A frayed transmission wire was observed east of the main wreckage. Two portions of the left wing’s leading edge were found between the frayed wire and the main wreckage. The airplane remained relatively intact and displayed signatures consistent with a nose-low impact with terrain. All primary flight controls were accounted for at the site.
Examination of the wreckage found no anomalies that would have contributed to the accident. The left wing had a 6.5-ft-long abrasion on the lower leading edge of the lower spar about 5.5 ft from the inboard side, consistent with a wire strike.
Only one of the three propeller blades remained attached to the hub. Another blade was located at the accident site, and the third blade was not recovered. The attached blade had a large gouge on the leading edge and chordwise scratches. The separated blade had a large gouge and was missing its tip. The engine showed signs of ingesting foreign object debris (the applied seed), and burnt seed was found throughout the engine’s gas path.
Additional Information
The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Department examined the pilot’s cellphone with permission from his family. The report indicated that the pilot was using the phone to both text and call during the flight; he initiated a phone call at 0907:26 that ended at 0910:26. The phone record also showed a call to 911 about 0910:50. The phone was an iPhone 14 Pro Max, which included a crash detection feature that called 911 after a 20-second delay.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by Parish Forensics LLC, Broussard, Louisiana, identified plaque causing 60% narrowing of two coronary arteries. No other significant natural disease was found in the visual examination of the heart. The pilot’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was positive for ethanol, propanol (N-), verapamil, and norverapamil. Testing on cavity blood and vitreous was negative for propanol (N-). Samples were marked putrefied. The pilot had reported his use of verapamil on his most recent FAA medical certificate application. Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure and certain heart rhythm disorders and is acceptable for pilots.