Air Tractor AT-400 accident near Clayton, Louisiana, July 31, 2004
On July 31, 2004 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-400, registered N3159W, was destroyed in an accident near Clayton, 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's failure to maintain clearance from the high tension power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2004 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Clayton, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Registration
- N3159W · no longer on the register · serial 400-0474
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While maneuvering during an aerial application of chemicals on a field, the 5,972-hour pilot reported that the left wing collided with the lower set of transmission wires running perpendicular to the field being sprayed, about 60 feet off the ground. The pilot added that he had flown under the same set of wires six or seven times earlier that morning; however, during the last pass, he felt that "the aircraft ballooned and the tail came up." Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,972 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Chase LA at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from HEZ, 17 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 N3159W 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.