Air Tractor AT-502B accident near Extension, Louisiana, February 28, 2002
On February 28, 2002 at about 8:28 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-502B, registered N6073U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Extension, Louisiana. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor was the pilot's impairment due to drugs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2002 · about 8:28 pm local time
- Place
- Extension, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Registration
- N6073U · no longer on the register · serial 502B-0355
- 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 9,978-hour commercial pilot had dispensed his 4th load of fertilizer for the day and was returning to the airstrip in clear weather when witnesses observed the airplane climb, nose over, and impact the ground in an inverted attitude in a furrowed field. Data from the Ag-Nav GPS indicated that the airplane climbed from 200 feet agl to approximately 480 feet agl and then vertical to approximately 630 feet agl prior to descending. According to the propeller manufacturer's representative, the propeller was operating with power "ON" at the time of impact, the propeller was operating at a blade angle in the "normal operating range," and there were no discrepancies found that would have precluded "normal" operation of the propeller prior to impact. No evidence of an in-flight mechanical and/or flight control malfunction was found that would have rendered the airplane uncontrollable prior to the impact. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute's (CAMI) Forensic Toxicological and Accident Research center examined the specimens taken by the medical examiner. The toxicological findings were positive for 0.023 (ug/ml, ug/g) Amphetamine detected in the blood; 0.892 (ug/ml, ug/g) Amphetamine detected in the urine; 0.053 (ug/ml, ug/g) Methamphetamine detected in the blood; and 2.516 (ug/ml, ug/g) Methamphetamine detected in the urine. Use of amphetamines would have precluded medical certification of this pilot had it been reported. The pilot was impaired either by the effects of methamphetamine, which may have led him to attempt to perform beyond his capabilities on the aircraft, or by withdrawal effects, which may have resulted in significant fatigue and distraction.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 9,978 hours in all; 575 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 9,924 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 26, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,968 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 12, 2002; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Winnsboro LA at 8:15 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MLU, 30 miles away
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 N6073U 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.