Air Tractor INC AT 502 accident near Delhi, Louisiana, June 15, 2016
On June 15, 2016 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1988 Air Tractor INC AT 502, registered N1002L, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Delhi, 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 inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll as a result of a piece of concrete from the runway impacting the right main landing gear brake during the landing roll, resulting in a right brake failure and a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 2016 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Delhi, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor INC AT 502 UNDESIGNAT, built 1988 · all AT 502s on the register
- Registration
- N1002L · registry record · serial 502-0018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a telephone interview, the pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll on a private agricultural airstrip, a piece of concrete from the runway chipped off and hit the right brake. The pilot further reported that he applied the brakes to stop on the runway and then ground looped to the left. During the ground loop, the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident mechanical inspection revealed that the hydraulic line on the right main landing gear was severed, which would have made the right brake inoperable.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,750 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 15, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,764 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 19, 2015
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-34AGJ (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Delhi LA
- Destination: Delhi LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KTVR, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 GAA16CA321.