Air Tractor AT-802 N445HA

Summary

On 28 September 2023 at about 16:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-802 registered N445HA was involved in an accident near Herington, Kansas, United States. 2 people were 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

28 September 2023 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Herington, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Herington Rgnl (HRU)

Coordinates

38.6915, -96.8069

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-802

Registration

N445HA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA425

Nobody was injured.

The design of the spray valve control lever, which restricted the range of the left rear rudder and brake pedal and resulted in a loss of control during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor in the rear seat reported that during the landing roll the tailwheel unlocked, and the airplane turned right. He applied full left rudder and attempted to apply left brake, but when the left rudder and left brake were both applied, the top of the pedal toe brake contacted the spray control lever pushrod, preventing full braking. The airplane continued off the right side of the runway, where the airplane impacted a ditch and sustained substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination revealed that the front-seat rudder/brake pedals were found to move to their full range of motion without interference. The rear-seat rudder/brake pedals were found in the forward adjustment position. With full left rudder deflection, the left brake pedal’s range was restricted by the upper spray valve control pushrod. There were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The design of the spray valve control lever and left rear rudder pedal in the forward adjustment position restricted the left rudder and brake pedal, which resulted in a loss of control during landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.