Air Tractor AT-502 N1035F
16 December 2008 · Dinuba, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 December 2008 at about 18:08 local time, a Air Tractor AT-502 registered N1035F, operated by Gilbert Aviation Industries INC, was involved in an accident near Dinuba, California, 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 18:08
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dinuba, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.4583, -119.3853
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-502
- Registration
- N1035F
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Gilbert Aviation Industries INC
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Visalia → Visalia
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09CA064
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The failure of maintenance personnel to properly install the engine's Py line correctly, which resulted in the total loss of engine power and subsequent force landing. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that about halfway through the first spray pass he experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot stated that he pulled up out of the field, dumped the load, and chose to land straight ahead in an adjoining field. The pilot reported that after touching down and holding the stick back the tail started lifting. Before it stopped, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness aviation safety inspector conducted a post accident examination of the airplane. The airplane's most recent annual inspection had been completed the day prior to the accident. The FAA inspector found the engine's Py line had not been secured properly, which would have prevented proper fuel scheduling to the engine's fuel control unit. The inspector also reported that the outboard leading edge of the left wing tip had sustained substantial damage, which would have adversely affected the flight characteristics of the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-502 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2008 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Waitsburg, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2008 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Satartia, Mississippi, United States | Carson Air Service, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2009 | Air Tractor AT-502 | East Grand Forks, Minnesota, United States | Agrimax LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 2007 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Slaton, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 2009 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Narrogin, Australia, Australia | Agricair Pty Limited | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Aug 2007 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Creston, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172S | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | Pacific Aerocademy | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Cessna TU206G | Groveland, California, United States | Charles D Hartwell | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Piper PA 28-180 | Sonoma, California, United States | Timothy Bennett | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Redding, California, United States | Kenneth A Tyler | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Kaman K-1200 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Superior Leasing LLC | Fatal | - |
| 26 Jul 2008 | Ercoupe 415-C | Corona, California, United States | Herbert Guiness | No injuries | - |