Air Tractor AT 402A N623LA

Summary

On 4 April 2015 at about 19:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT 402A registered N623LA, operated by Taylor Air Service LLC, was involved in an incident near Brickeys, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 April 2015 at 19:30

Classification

Incident

Location

Brickeys, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Dawson's Airport (15AR)

Coordinates

34.8411, -90.5272

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT 402A

Registration

N623LA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Taylor Air Service LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brickeys → Brickeys

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15IA200

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight separation of the attachment hardware at the elevator control pushrod due to maintenance personnel's improper reinstallation of the attachment hardware.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during an agricultural application pass, the elevator control felt abnormal. The pilot chose to return to the airport and noted that the elevator control was unresponsive. The pilot attempted to maintain pitch control by using the elevator trim, but turbulence made this difficult. During the off-field landing, the airplane's nose pitched down. The pilot countered with nose-up trim, and the airplane stalled and then impacted the ground, which resulted in minor damage to the propeller. A postincident examination revealed that the attachment hardware, including the bolt and nut, at the elevator pushrod had separated. Maintenance had been performed on the elevator control pushrod about 20 hours before the incident flight, and the bolt and nut would have been removed and reinstalled during this maintenance. It is likely that maintenance personnel did not properly reinstall the attachment hardware after performing the maintenance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.