Air Tractor AT-400 N36493

Summary

On 13 May 1999 at about 15:05 local time, a Air Tractor AT-400 registered N36493, operated by Britt D. Bookout, was involved in an accident near Louisville, 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

13 May 1999 at 15:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Louisville, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

33.1209, -89.0492

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-400

Registration

N36493

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Britt D. Bookout

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Louisville → Belzoni

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL99LA085

Nobody was injured.

INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION, DUE TO AN INADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that about three or four minutes after departure, he heard a loud whining and grinding noise from the engine compartment for several seconds. He then heard an abrupt loud noise that resulted in a total loss of engine power. He stated that he looked at the torque gauge as the needle fell to zero, he then traded airspeed for altitude gain and applied full flaps, setting up the aircraft for a forced landing into the trees. An examination of both the fuel line and engine was conducted. The fuel line examination detected that there was no fuel in the fuel line or at the fuel controller, and very little in both main tanks. The engine examination concluded that less than 1 oz. of fuel was found in the engine fuel filter, and less than 12 oz. of fuel was found in the firewall fuel filter. Less than a gallon of fuel was recovered from the fuel system. No fuel spillage was noted at the accident site. The examination of the engine assembly failed to disclose an obvious internal component malfunction or failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.