Air Tractor AT-401 N7315P
13 July 2021 · Carroll, Iowa, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 July 2021 at about 21:54 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N7315P, operated by Central AG LLC, was involved in an accident near Carroll, Iowa, 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 21:54
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Carroll, Iowa, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.0656, -94.8673
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-401
- Registration
- N7315P
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1987
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Central AG LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Carroll → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN21LA319
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The wear-related failure of the airframe fuel boost pump, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot had completed half of a planned aerial application of a field when the airplane’s engine lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the inline airframe fuel boost pump would not provide normal fuel output due to wear of the pump motor shaft and leakage of the pump seal. The pump also did not bypass fuel during the on-scene examination but did bypass fuel during testing at the pump manufacturer. The differences in bypass test results were most likely due to plumbing differences between the airplane and the test fixture. The pump manufacturer recommended a 10-year overhaul of the pump and did not provide an hours-in-service overhaul recommendation. The pump was manufactured in 2007, and an airplane logbook record indicated it had been last overhauled in 2013.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-401 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 2020 | Air Tractor AT 401 | Burlington, Colorado, United States | Air Care Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 2022 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Rayville, Louisiana, United States | Collinston Air Service Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 2023 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Jamestown, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2025 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Hamlet, Nebraska, United States | Sunflower Aero Inc | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 2017 | Air Tractor AT 401 | Pearsall, Texas, United States | Fitch's Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2015 | Air Tractor AT 401 | Wall, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2021 | Cirrus SR22 | Lamoni, Iowa, United States | Airmark Group LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 11 Jul 2021 | Air Tractor AT802 | Newell, Iowa, United States | Midwest Custom Ag Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2021 | Piper PA-28-180 | Muscatine, Iowa, United States | GOD Speed Aviation LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Jan 2021 | Beechcraft 300 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | Carver Aero | No injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 2021 | Air Tractor AT-401B | Storm Lake, Iowa, United States | Barts Flying Service Inc | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 2021 | Textron 525 | Dubuque, Iowa, United States | Cottingham & Butler Insurance Services Inc | No injuries | - |