N363BGAir Tractor AT-802 · 2012

On July 25, 2021, about 0745 central daylight time, an Air Tractor 802 airplane, N363BG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Benoit, Mississippi. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight.

The intent of the flight was to apply product to a bean field located about 3.5 miles southwest of Benoit, Mississippi. According to the operator, the airplane had 225 gallons of Jet A fuel and 635 gallons of product before takeoff.

The airplane was operating from a private grass strip that was 2,164 ft long and 100 ft wide that was oriented on a magnetic heading of about 230°. Witnesses stated that they observed a normal takeoff roll but that, at the departure end of the runway, the airplane struck an embankment, nosed over, and came to rest inverted in the field.

The pilot’s last aviation medical examination was on December 18, 2020. At that time, he reported no medication use and no active medical conditions. He was issued a second-class medical certificate limited by a requirement to wear lenses for distant vision and have glasses for near vision.

According to the AT-802/802A takeoff ground roll distance chart, the airplane’s total ground roll distance with a weight of 13,630 pounds, a field elevation of 128 ft above ground level, and a temperature of 27°C would have been 2,050 ft on a paved runway. According to the airframe manufacturer, for a takeoff on a turf, a runway factor of 1.2 [based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 23-8C, paragraph 23.45(c)] is added to the calculation. Thus, the accident airplane’s takeoff ground roll distance would have been 2,460 ft.

According to the AT-802/802A takeoff ground roll distance chart, the airplane’s total ground roll distance with a weight of 13,630 pounds, a field elevation of 128 ft above ground level, and a temperature of 27°C would have been 2,050 ft on a paved runway. According to the airframe manufacturer, for a takeoff on a turf, a runway factor of 1.2 [based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 23-8C, paragraph 23.45(c)] is added to the calculation. Thus, the accident airplane’s takeoff ground roll distance would have been 2,460 ft.

The airplane was located in a soybean field southwest of the airstrip. The airplane came to rest inverted on its nose, cockpit, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The airplane’s forward fuselage, cowling, and firewall were crushed aft and bent upward. The forward cockpit was crushed inward and aft. The windscreen and cockpit windows were broken and fragmented. The tops of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent and broken aft. The left wing was crushed aft from the tip inboard about 5 ft.

The engine and propeller were separated from the airplane and came to rest along a 150ft path from the initial impact point to the location where the airplane’s main wreckage came to rest. The engine was broken into two sections, the reduction gearbox/exhaust section and the engine power module. The upstream side of the firststage power turbine vane baffle exhibited circumferential rubbing and deformation. The downstream side of the secondstage power turbine vane ring showed circumferential rubbing on the outer shroud. The secondstage power turbine disk showed that one-fourth of the blades separated just above the blade platform. The remaining blades were fractured in the airfoil at roughly the same height.

The propeller was fractured at the flange. All five propeller blades showed bending and twisting toward high pitch. Two of the blades showed S-bending. Four of the five blades showed chordwise rotational abrasions on the back of the blades.

No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

The Bolivar County, Mississippi, Medical Examiner performed an autopsy of the pilot. His cause of death was multiple traumatic head and neck injuries. The autopsy identified no significant natural disease.

Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected .189 g/dL of ethanol in blood specimens, .252 g/dL of ethanol in vitreous fluid specimens, and .141 g/dL of ethanol in urine specimens. Ethanol is a type of alcohol that, if consumed in beer, wine, and liquor, can impair judgment, psychomotor performance, cognition, and vigilance. Ethanol, even in small amounts, can impair performance, and the number and severity of pilot errors tend to increase with increased blood ethanol levels. FAA regulation imposes strict limits on flying after consuming ethanol, including prohibiting the piloting of civil aircraft with a blood ethanol level of 0.04 g/dL or greater.

The following prescription medications were also found in the pilot’s heart and urine specimens: gabapentin, doxepin (and its metabolite nordoxepin), rosuvastatin, triamterene, amlodipine, fexofenadine (and its metabolite azacyclonol), and carvedilol. The nonprescription medications acetaminophen and ibuprofen were also detected.

Gabapentin is used to treat nerve pain and certain types of seizures. Gabapentin can cause sedation and dizziness and can impair coordination and performance of tasks such as driving and operating heavy machinery. Gabapentin typically carries a warning that the drug may interact with alcohol or other sedating medications to worsen sleepiness and dizziness.

Doxepin is an antidepressant medication that can have sedating effects and cause psychomotor impairment. Doxepin typically carries a warning that effects of alcohol or other sedating medications may be heightened by the drug.

The FAA considers both gabapentin and doxepin to be “Do Not Issue/Do Not Fly” medications. Regular use of either drug for any reason is disqualifying for pilot medical certification.