Air Tractor INC AT-502B accident near Melville, Louisiana, August 3, 2022
On August 3, 2022 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor INC AT-502B, registered N41850, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Melville, Louisiana. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot improperly monitored the operating environment which resulted in a collision with a tree located in the middle of a field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2022 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Melville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT-502B · all AT-502Bs on the register
- Registration
- N41850 · no longer on the register · serial 502B-2703
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was applying insecticide to a soybean field when he heard a loud bang. Shortly thereafter, the airplane impacted terrain. The pilot, who momentarily lost consciousness, realized the loud bang was caused when the airplane impacted a tree located in the middle of the field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 6,500 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 13,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,296 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 20, 2022
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG (turboprop); 14,990 hours total
- Operator: Aerial Crop Care INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 24, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.