Air Tractor 502B and Cessna 188B mid-air collision near Anguilla, Mississippi, June 2, 2001
On June 2, 2001 at about 1:00 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Air Tractor 502B (N257LA) and Cessna 188B (N731KG), were involved in a mid-air collision near Anguilla, Mississippi (Angilla Flying Service (Pvt) airport). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of both pilots to maintain visual lookout, resulting in an in-flight collision. The air tractor pilot operated the positioning flight at an altitude below 500 feet agl. Valium was detected in the toxicological examination of the Air Tractor pilot.
Failure of both pilots to maintain visual lookout, resulting in an in-flight collision. A factor was sun glare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2001 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 2001
- Place
- Anguilla, Mississippi · Angilla Flying Service (Pvt) · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Air Tractor 502B
- Registration
- N257LA · registry record · serial 502B-0257
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
- Aircraft 2
- Cessna 188B · all 188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731KG · no longer on the register · serial 18802949T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative for the Air Tractor 502B final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two agricultural airplanes, an Air Tractor 502B and a Cessna 188, collided in flight at low altitude over a field. The Cessna was working a field, and the Air Tractor was ferrying between aerial application sites when the collision occurred. Examination of both wreckage revealed that the right wing of the Cessna collided with the right elevator of the air tractor. The collision altitude was not determined. The right -a-way rule states that the airplane to the right has the right-a-way. Valium was also detected in tissue samples from the Air tractor pilot. The sun position limited the visibility of the Cessna pilot.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 188B final · quoted from the NTSB record
See narrative ATL01LA063A.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Air Tractor 502B from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,178 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 2001; 188.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W P76A-34AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Rolling Fork MS at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KGWO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Cessna 188B from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 18,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 2000
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Rolling Fork MS at 12:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N257LA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- N731KG: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 188 33 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W P76A-34AG · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 120 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Mississippi 845 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Mississippi 2,601 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL01LA063.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.