Air Tractor AT-301 N36542

Summary

On 7 August 2022 at about 14:49 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N36542, operated by Harris Spraying Inc, was involved in an accident near Circle, Montana, 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

7 August 2022 at 14:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Circle, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.3697, -105.4406

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N36542

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Harris Spraying Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA293

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to carburetor ice. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, following an aerial application on field, he was returning to a private [air]strip, when the engine began to run rough and lost power at an altitude of about 100 ft above ground level. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a wheat field, however, the airplane impacted terrain about 75 ft short of the field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that carburetor ice “was not even considered at the time of power loss” and that the conditions favorable to carburetor ice were not taken into account. Carburetor heat was not used. Weather conditions reported at the time of the accident were conducive for serious carburetor icing at cruise power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.