Air Tractor AT-401 N45297

Summary

On 21 July 2010 at about 18:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N45297, operated by Robert N. Morgan, was involved in an accident near Toulin, Illinois, 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

21 July 2010 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Toulin, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

41.0906, -89.8609

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-401

Registration

N45297

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robert N. Morgan

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Walnut → Walnut

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA420

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power as a result of a cracked cylinder and the reduced visibility due to the oil-covered windshield.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had made his last agricultural spray run. The airplane was about 200 feet above ground level when one of the engine's cylinders cracked resulting in oil covering the windshield. The pilot flew to a satellite airstrip about 5 miles away. The pilot reported that the airstrip was short and his visibility was reduced due to the oil-covered windshield. The airplane overran the runway and nosed over when it collided with a ditch. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the number two cylinder of the engine had a crack located near the front spark plug and stretching to the rear spark plug. The Federal Aviation Administration had previously issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) addressing the accident engine model. The AD required initial and repetitive visual and florescent penetration inspections of cylinders for cracking. This document was prompted by reports of cylinder head cracking which can result in the loss of engine power. The airplane’s logbooks indicated that 18 hours of time in service had elapsed since the last visual inspection of the cylinder per the AD requirements.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.