N455LA

On August 4, 2021, about 1520 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602, N455LA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Mer Rouge, Louisiana. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.

The pilot reported the accident occurred on the third aerial application flight of the day. Ground support personnel loaded the airplane with about 480 gallons of insecticide and fertilizer, and about 60 gallons of Jet A-1 fuel, which increased the total fuel load to about 160 gallons prior to takeoff. Shortly after rotation, the airplane engine lost power. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a soybean field and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings (see figure 1.)

Figure 1. Accident Airplane (Source: law enforcement)

According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airplane’s fuel system was intact, and the wing fuel tanks did not appear to contain any fuel. No evidence of fuel was found at the accident site. In addition, the operator did not have a recordkeeping system of fuel distribution at the refueling location.

According to the airplane recovery personnel, the chemical hopper had contained a puncture hole that leaked into one of the fuel tanks. During the recovery process, about 7 to 8 gallons of a fuel/chemical mixture was drained from the fuel tanks. There was no evidence of about 160 gallons of fuel at the accident site or in the airplane fuel tanks.