Air Tractor AT-401 N45205
13 September 1999 · Caledonia, Mississippi, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 September 1999 at about 13:15 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N45205, operated by Floyd C. Lowry, was involved in an accident near Caledonia, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 13:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Caledonia, Mississippi, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.6810, -88.3200
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Registration
- N45205
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Floyd C. Lowry
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Columbus → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL99LA129
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The failure of the fuel control gear train due to oil contamination. A factor was Inadequate maintenance.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was spraying chemicals on a cotton field at an altitude of 300 ft. An hour and a half into the flight, he entered a right turn and the engine lost power. During the initiated forced landing, the right wing collided with a tree. The airplane spun to the right, colliding with the ground nose first, bounced several times, then came to rest. Post-examination of the engine revealed that there was an interruption of the direct drive fuel control (DDFC) gear-train due to a loss of mechanical contact between the teeth of the second and third DDFC gears. The cause for the interference was believed to have been due to excessive loading of the forward gear teeth of the third DDFC gear resulting in loss of material from the third DDFC gear. No assembly, dimensional or material defects were identified which would contribute to excessive loading or interference between the second and third DDFC gears.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-401 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 1999 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Hart, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1999 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Moore Haven, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 1999 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Jerome, Idaho, United States | Spray Craft | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1999 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Humphrey, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2000 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Acequia, Idaho, United States | Mallard, Alma D. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 May 1998 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Rich, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 1999 | Gulfstream American AA-5A | Carthage, Mississippi, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Jan 1999 | Trohoski VARI-EZE | Tupelo, Mississippi, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1999 | Cessna A188B | Panther Burn, Mississippi, United States | Michael A. Johnson | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 1999 | Cessna 172G | Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 1999 | Piper PA-24-180 | Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 29 Oct 1999 | Cessna 150F | Bay Springs, Mississippi, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |