Air Tractor 401 N10103

Summary

On 22 August 1998 at about 16:15 local time, a Air Tractor 401 registered N10103 was involved in an accident near Holly Bluff, Mississippi, 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.

Date

22 August 1998 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Holly Bluff, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

32.7696, -90.7105

Aircraft

Air Tractor 401

Registration

N10103

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98LA117

Nobody was injured.

The malfunction of the carburetor which resulted in improper fuel flow to the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had been flying about forty five minutes on this load of fuel, and estimated that he had in excess of one hour of fuel remaining. While on the first swath run climb out from a field, the engine lost power. The pilot also reported that as the engine lost power, black smoke was seen coming from the exhaust. According to the pilot, the only available emergency landing area was straight ahead. During the post-accident examination of the engine assembly, the engine was started, it ran roughly, and produced black smoke. Further examination disclosed that fuel pressure supplied by the engine driven fuel pump was not being maintained in the pressure carburetor. According to a local mechanic assisting in the examination, the loss of fuel pressure in the carburetor is normally associated with a defective needle assembly in the carburetor. According to the operator, the maintenance records showed that the engine assembly had accumulated 1150 hours of service since the last overhaul. The recommended time between engine overhauls is 1200 hours. The engine maintenance records also failed to show if the carburetor had been overhauled since the last engine overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.