Air Tractor AT502 N599LA accident near Morganza, Louisiana

Probable cause

A loss of aircraft control due to the separation of the elevator pushrod attachment bolt.

NTSB analysis

While performing an aerial application flight, the pilot heard a loud noise, followed by the nose of the airplane pitching up. The pilot applied full forward pressure on the flight control stick with no response. He then reduced the power to arrest the climb. A company employee who witnessed the accident reported that the airplane pitched up dramatically, hesitated, and then pitched almost straight nose-down before it impacted the ground.

A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the aluminum elevator pushrod was disconnected from the forward idler and that the attachment bolt was missing. The missing attachment bolt was later found undamaged in the wreckage and no additional anomalies were noted with the airplane or engine. It is likely the noise the pilot heard was the attachment bolt separating from elevator pushrod. After the separation, the pilot would have had little to no elevator control, which is consistent with his description of the accident sequence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19LA112 for the full record.