Air Tractor AT-402A N402RE

Summary

On 11 August 1999 at about 21:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-402A registered N402RE was involved in an accident near Mead, Colorado, 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

11 August 1999 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mead, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Carrera Airpark Airport (93CO)

Coordinates

40.2303, -104.9797

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-402A

Registration

N402RE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carrera Airpark → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN99LA149

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to follow proper approach to landing procedures as outlined in the Airplane Flight Manual. A factor was the 6-foot tall corn stalks.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed an aerial spray of a field with insecticides and was returning for landing at the privately-owned airstrip. While 100 ft. agl, the pilot reported a loss of engine power and the aircraft landed in a field of 6-foot tall corn stalks 150 yards short of the runway. Following the accident, the aircraft's engine was disassembled and examined, then reassembled and run in a test cell. No abnormalities or discrepancies were found that would have interfered with normal engine operation. An examination of the aircraft's propeller blades revealed that each of the propeller blades were bent in the reverse direction. The power lever in the aircraft is designed with a beta mode in which the pilot can manually pull the throttle rearward with corresponding negative blade angles. It takes between 3 to 6 seconds for the engine to respond to increased engine power input. The Airplane Flight Manual for the aircraft states that during approach to landing, the pilot is instructed to adjust the power lever to provide the required rate of descent, to 'not move [the] power lever below the idle stop position,' and to verify that the beta light is out.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.