NTSB Factual Report

On February 26, 2018, about 1718 central standard time, an Air Tractor, Inc., AT-802A, N581LA, collided with trees and an open field near Greenwood, Mississippi. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated about 1645, from the operators airstrip located in Morgan City, Mississippi.

A witness, who was located about 1 nautical mile east-southeast of the accident site, reported looking to the west through an opening in trees and seeing the airplane making passes from the east to the west. He then heard what he described as two nearly simultaneous "loud/hard" sounds similar to dynamite, with the second being louder than the first.

Damage to a tree located east of the accident site was noted consistent with the airplane being in a left bank less than 30°. Located on the ground west of the tree were three sections of the right spray boom and the right wingtip. An impact crater with sections of the overhead turn windows, light bar, hopper lid, and windshield frame was located about 515 feet nearly due west of the contacted tree, while a continuous ground scar measuring 176 feet in length oriented on a magnetic heading of 290° was noted between the impact crater and the inverted airplane, which came to rest heading 332° magnetic. The airplane was recovered for further examination.