Air Tractor AT-602 N8521V
21 May 2022 · Sacramento, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 May 2022 at about 22:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N8521V, operated by Farm Air Flying Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Sacramento, 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 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sacramento, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Scheidel Ranch Airport (CA07)
- Coordinates
- 38.8386, -121.5472
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-602
- Registration
- N8521V
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2004
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Farm Air Flying Service LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pleasant Grove → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR21LA368
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 aerial application flight, the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and was forced to land in a dry plowed field. The left wing was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right-side fuel tank was almost empty, and the left side fuel tank contained approximately 15 gallons of fuel. The Airplane Flight Manual for the airplane states that skidding turns below ½ tanks can transfer fuel from one tank to another, which will lead to engine flameout if one tank runs dry. Subsequently, the pilot stated that he should have completed a better visual inspection of the contents of both fuel tanks before takeoff. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-602 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Murray, Nebraska, United States | Murdoch Aerial Spraying LLC | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Beaumont, Texas, United States | Twin County Air-Ag Inc | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Newport, Arkansas, United States | Central Iowa Agricultural Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Lind, Washington, United States | Gemtrek LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Aug 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Glendora, Mississippi, United States | Snow Brake Air Service Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Jun 2022 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Allport, Arkansas, United States | Webb Flying Service Inc | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 2022 | Cessna 182D | Desert Camp, California, United States | Cloudstreet Flying Services | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2022 | Bell 407 | Mount Baldy, California, United States | Air Methods Corp | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 2022 | Stoddard Hamilton GLASAIR SUPER II | Oxnard, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 2022 | Embraer Executive EMB-505 | Hawthorne, California, United States | Solairus Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 2022 | Mooney M20K | Camarillo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 2022 | North American T-28B | Fallbrook, California, United States | Mach One Air Charters Inc | Fatal | 1 |