Air Tractor AT-301 N4326S

Summary

On 19 May 1998 at about 12:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N4326S was involved in an accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho, 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

19 May 1998 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Private Agricultural

Coordinates

43.4302, -111.8896

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N4326S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rigby → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

SEA98LA079

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate inflight decision to land with a tailwind and his failure to maintain aircraft control. Also contributing was the pilot's improper setting of the fuel mixture which resulted in a partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the pilot approached the agricultural application airstrip, he decided that he would land downwind so that he would end his landing roll near the equipment that would be used to load the aircraft. After the aircraft touched down, the pilot became uncomfortable with the downwind landing, and elected to make a go-around. He applied power two separate times during the attempted go-around, but both times the engine coughed and sputtered and would not accelerate. The pilot therefore decided to abort the go-around, and attempted to stop the aircraft in the remaining runway. According to the pilot, as the aircraft was slowing, the tailwind picked up the aft end of the aircraft and caused it to nose over. In a post- accident telephone interview, the pilot said that he had failed to readjust the engine fuel mixture from its more-lean cruise setting prior to landing. He further stated that the engine had been working fine, and that he felt sure that if he had adjusted the mixture prior to landing that the engine would have accelerated when he added power for the go-around.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.