Air Tractor AT-602 accident near Columbia, Louisiana, October 11, 2007
On October 11, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-602, registered N8521L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, Louisiana. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. Contributing factors were the tall vegetation on the sides of the airstrip and the short and confined landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Registration
- N8521L · no longer on the register · serial 602-0703
- 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 2,670-hour commercial pilot lost control of the turbine-powered aerial application airplane while landing on a remote dirt airstrip to replenish the hopper. The pilot reported that while flaring the airplane during a 3-point landing, the upwind wing (low wing) became entangled in the tall vegetation surrounding the airstrip resulting in a loss of directional control. The airplane "cart-wheeled" and came to rest in the upright position. The pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. The airplane's aft fuselage sustained structural damage. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the pilot responded that a better choice of airstrip could have been made to prevent the mishap.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,670 hours in all; 1,676 in this make and model; 600 in the last 90 days; 456 in the last 30 days; 2,614 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,619 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hog Air Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Columbian LA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Columbian LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N8521L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.