Air Tractor AT-401 N6055W

Summary

On 18 July 2000 at about 00:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N6055W was involved in an accident near Panhandle, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 2000 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Panhandle, Texas, United States

Coordinates

35.3407, -101.3804

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-401

Registration

N6055W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA212

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was fueled, loaded with chemical, and departed to spray a field. The airplane was making a climbing right turn to re-enter the field when the nose dropped and, subsequently, the airplane entered a steep descent and impacted the ground. According to data from a SATLOC GPS, most of the turns made during the flight had a diameter of 1,000 feet. The data ended with the airplane completing 230 degrees of a right turn with a diameter of 660 feet. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. Partial flight control continuity was established for the aileron and elevators, and continuity was established for the rudder. The engine and propeller exhibited evidence of producing power at the time of impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.