Air Tractor AT-400 N73080
19 October 1998 · Aztec, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 October 1998 at about 19:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-400 registered N73080 was involved in an accident near Aztec, New Mexico, 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 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Aztec, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.8192, -108.0005
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-400
- Registration
- N73080
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN99TA013
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane. Factors were the unsecured oil dipstick, the loss of engine oil pressure necessitating a precautionary landing on unsuitable terrain, and the collision with the tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot had flown the aerial application flight for 12 minutes when he began to 'get oil on [the] windshield, and [began] losing oil pressure'. A precautionary landing ensued. During the landing roll, the right wing struck a tree. The airplane spun around and slid aideways, collapsing the left landing gear. The left wing was also 'wrinkled.' The pilot said he found the oil dipstick had not been secured.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-400 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 1998 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Tranquillity, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1999 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Louisville, Mississippi, United States | Britt D. Bookout | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1997 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Sudan, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 1999 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Elkhart, Kansas, United States | Jordan Air | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1997 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Fluvanna, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 1996 | Air Tractor AT-400 | Huffman, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1998 | Lockheed SP-2H | Reserve, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Jan 1998 | Martin VARIEZE | Artesia, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1998 | Piper PA-32RT-300 | Taos, New Mexico, United States | Flight Training Center | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1998 | Air Tractor AT-502B | Portales, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1998 | Jobe's TE-1 | Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1998 | Beechcraft 58 | Taos, New Mexico, United States | Ican Enterprises, Inc. | No injuries | - |