Air Tractor AT-301 N2316X

Summary

On 7 November 2001 at about 14:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N2316X, operated by Brown Flying Service, Inc., was involved in an accident near Anton, Texas, 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 November 2001 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.8097, -102.1603

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N2316X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Brown Flying Service, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Littlefield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA030

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power while maneuvering due to a cracked cylinder, which resulted in a forced landing. A factor was lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been applying chemical to a field for 20 minutes when the engine began to slowly lose power. The pilot abandoned the spray flight and initiated a return flight to the base airport. While en route back to the airport, the engine lost total power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a field. During the landing roll, the airplane contacted a dirt terrace and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. Post accident examination of the engine revealed that the #5 cylinder displayed a crack that initiated at one spark plug, continued over the cylinder head, and ended at the second spark plug. The crack went through the entire thickness of the cylinder's casting.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.