Air Tractor Inc AT-502B N5180W accident near Vidalia, Louisiana

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial application flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s cell phone use and the position of the sun, which reduced the pilot’s ability to perceive the location of the power lines.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting an aerial application flight to a field. Multiple witnesses observed that, as the airplane was flying east, it entered a climbing right-bank turn before it collided with a power transmission wire and descended into trees.

Onboard avionics recorded the accident flight. Data showed that the pilot did not perform a survey of the field before applying product to the field, likely due to the pilot’s familiarity with the area. The data recorded the airplane’s track as it flew about 100 ft above ground level (agl) over the field, climbed to about 300 ft agl, and entered a wide right-bank turn for undetermined reasons. The airplane’s track crossed through transmission wires that were suspended over the Mississippi River.

An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

At the time of day, the sun was located approximately 17° left of the airplane’s nose and about 22° above the horizon. The sun’s position likely contributed to the pilot’s inability to visual acquire the power lines.

Local law enforcement performed an examination on the pilot’s cellphone, with permission from the pilot’s family. The report found that the pilot was using his cellphone to both text and call during the flight. The pilot’s diverted attention also would have reduced his situational awareness, making his identification of the power lines less likely.

The pilot’s autopsy found evidence of coronary artery disease that conveyed an increased risk of a sudden impairing or incapacitating cardiac event, such as arrhythmia, chest pain, or heart attack. The autopsy did not provide specific evidence that such an event occurred; however, such an event would not have reliably left autopsy evidence. Some or all of the small amount of ethanol detected in cavity blood may have been from postmortem formation rather than alcohol consumption. It is unlikely that the pilot was impaired by ethanol effects at the time of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24FA021 for the full record.