Air Tractor AT-401 N10140

Summary

On 9 August 2001 at about 14:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N10140 was involved in an accident near Grand Coteau, Louisiana, 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

9 August 2001 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Coteau, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

30.4305, -92.0495

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-401

Registration

N10140

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arnaudville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA178

Nobody was injured.

the loss of engine power while maneuvering, which resulted from a fractured #4 cylinder head at the exhaust valve rocker arm boss. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The agricultural airplane had completed a spray pass from south to north, and during a turn around maneuver, the engine lost power. The pilot emptied the airplane's load and initiated a forced landing to a dirt road; however, the aircraft was unable to reach the road. The airplane touched down in a sweet potato field perpendicular to the rows with its right wing first. Subsequently, as the airplane touched down, its main landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest upright. An examination of the engine revealed that the #4 cylinder head had fractured at the exhaust valve rocker arm boss. A review of the maintenance records revealed that on August 4, 2001 (4.4 hours prior to the accident), the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 engine's cylinder heads were inspected for cracking in accordance with Airworthiness Directive 99-11-02. No cylinder head cracking was noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.