Air Tractor AT-402 accident near La Barre, Louisiana, August 25, 1993
On August 25, 1993, a Air Tractor AT-402, registered N1508X, was destroyed in an accident near La Barre, 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
LOSS OF CONTROL FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1993
- Place
- La Barre, Louisiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-402
- Registration
- N1508X · no longer on the register · serial 402-0827
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A LOCAL AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A 35 DEGREE RIGHT BANK, 20 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND SLID ABOUT 100 FEET THROUGH A SUGAR CANE FIELD. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 3/4 MILE EAST OF A FIELD THE PILOT HAD JUST FINISHED SPRAYING AND ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTH OF A SECOND FIELD HE WAS SUPPOSED TO SPRAY. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT AND NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND IN THE AIRPLANE NOR ANY OF ITS SYSTEMS. THE AUTOPSY FOUND INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF LIVER AND SPLEEN ENLARGEMENT, AND MILD ATHEROSCLEROSIS OF THE AORTA AND ARTERIES.
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: 7,736 hours in all; 984 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 991 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LA30
- Destination: LA30
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from BTR, 19 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.
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.