Air Tractor AT-301 N8578S
13 September 1989 · Mendota, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 September 1989 at about 15:50 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N8578S was involved in an accident near Mendota, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mendota, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.6704, -120.4505
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N8578S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Mendota → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX89DVA10
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL BY THE PILOT WHEN HE SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BEGIN A SPRAY RUN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL WAS THE INOPERATIVE STALL WARNING SYSTEM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
REPORTEDLY, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED DOWNWARD AS IT WAS SLOWED TO BEGIN A SPRAY RUN. THE PILOT ADDED FULL THROTTLE AND JETTISONED THE HOPPER CONTENTS BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. INSPECTION OF THE STALL WARNING SYSTEM REVEALED THE STALL WARNING WAS NOT CONNECTED. THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OPERATING WITH AUTOMOTIVE FUEL. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS FOUND WITH THE AIRCRAFT OR ENGINE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-301 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Belle Glade, Florida, United States | Air Crop Care Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Americus, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Apr 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Grangeville, Idaho, United States | Thomas Hill | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | S.eastern Aerial Crop SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 May 1989 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Arcola, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 1989 | Piper PA-31-350 | Ontario, California, United States | Ameriflight | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Sep 1989 | Piper PA-25-235 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1989 | Cessna 310K | Ojai, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Cessna 182 | Eureka, California, United States | Nothern Air | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Cessna 152 | Lancaster, California, United States | West Coast Air Center | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Sep 1989 | Bellanca 17-30A | Palo Alto, California, United States | Klouda, Linda K. | Minor injuries | - |