Air Tractor AT-301 N4361S
28 July 2001 · Edmore, North Dakota, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 28 July 2001 at about 20:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N4361S was involved in an accident near Edmore, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. 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 20:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Edmore, North Dakota, United States
- Coordinates
- 48.4098, -98.4502
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N4361S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Edmore → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI01LA252
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The incorrect installation of the wheel assembly bolts by maintenance personnel resulting in the stripped bolt threads and ultimate failure of the wheel, and directional control not possible by the pilot. A factor was the ditch
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane impacted a ditch and nosed over during takeoff from a road. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right outboard wheel half, right tire, and right tire inner tube had separated from the airframe. No other anomalies were found that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. Three of the right wheel through bolts were recovered from the accident scene. Two of the recovered bolts had stripped threads and a third was fractured in the threaded portion of the bolt. The left wheel was examined and was found intact. Seven of the through bolts that hold the left wheel halves together were found to have been over-torqued. The torque readings were from 125 to 175 inch-pounds on these bolts. The specified torque as printed on the wheel is 90 inch-pounds. The remaining two bolts were found to be stripped. One of the through bolts was found to be a coarse thread bolt. The bolts specified for attaching the wheel halves are AN4 fine thread bolts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-301 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 2001 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Finley, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Jun 2001 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Grygla, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 2001 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Morton, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Nov 2001 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Anton, Texas, United States | Brown Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 2000 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Garwood, Texas, United States | Michael Thompson | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2000 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Garwood, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 2001 | Piper PA-30 | Bowman, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-18-150 | Alice, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 May 2001 | Air Tractor G-164A | Casselton, North Dakota, United States | Dale R. Faust | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2001 | Ayres S2R-G1 | Mohall, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2001 | Cessna T210N | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 2001 | Piper PA-28-161 | Devils Lake, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |