Air Tractor AT 402 accident near Crowley, Louisiana, October 8, 2018
On October 8, 2018 at about 3:20 pm local time, a 1991 Air Tractor AT 402, registered N1500E, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Crowley, Louisiana (Private airport). 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted in a collision with vegetation and a subsequent loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2018 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Louisiana · Private · 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 Undesignat, built 1991
- Registration
- N1500E · registry record · serial 402-0820
- 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 reported that he did not want to take off from the wet grass airstrip he normally used, so he decided to take off from an asphalt road that paralleled the grass on the left side of the airstrip. During the takeoff roll, the left wing collided with tall vegetation, and the airplane veered left and exited the road. The airplane subsequently impacted a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,773 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 9,386 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 29, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,655.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 28, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-15AG (turboprop); 13,656 hours total
- Operator: Leleuxs Flying Service Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Crowley LA at 3:20 pm
- Destination: 3R2 Crowley LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 180, 2,600 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KIYA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1500E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 GAA19CA010.