Air Tractor AT301 accident near Gilbert, Louisiana, January 29, 1986
On January 29, 1986 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT301, registered N5218S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gilbert, Louisiana (Hokomb'S Flying Service airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1986 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gilbert, Louisiana · Hokomb'S Flying Service · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT301
- Registration
- N5218S · no longer on the register · serial 3010124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON JANUARY 29, 1986, AN AIRTRACTOR AT310, N5218S, OWNED BY HALCOM FLYING SERVICE, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DUE TO A FIRE WHICH OCCURRED DURING AN ATTEMPTED ENGINE START. N5218S WAS TO BE FLOWN TO ANOTHER LOCATION FOR MAINTENANCE PURPOSES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 4,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W 1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 71 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
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.
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.