Air Tractor AT-402 accident near Patterson, Louisiana, August 12, 1997
On August 12, 1997 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Air Tractor AT-402, registered N90PK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Patterson, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1997 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Patterson, 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-402
- Registration
- N90PK · registry record · serial 402-0744
- 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 pilot of the agricultural airplane had been flying under a power line with no difficulty on his previous spray runs in the sugar cane field. On this run, as he approached the field, the pilot realized the power line wire 'sagged lower than in the other places.' He considered climbing over the wire, but was not sure he would clear it, so he elected to continue under the wire. After passing under the wire, the airplane's main wheels contacted the sugar cane, and the airplane decelerated and impacted the ground.
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: 5,175 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 5,135 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,790 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1997; 106 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTN at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW97LA311.