NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN26LA036
Registry · N7315L
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502
Year of manufacture
1987 · 38 years old at event
TCDS
A17SW · AIR TRACTOR INC
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19870928
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9D1D4
Registrant of record
COCO AVIATION LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain situational awareness and clearance from terrain while maneuvering to avoid birds.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he took evasive action to avoid birds during an agricultural application flight. He had completed an application pass and was in a turn to set up for the next pass when he encountered the birds. The pilot noted that he lost situational awareness and inadvertently impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that affected normal operation of the airplane before the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Contributed to outcome
- — Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-Situational awareness-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_CEN26LA036.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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