Air Tractor 402 N91660

Summary

On 20 May 2002 at about 12:40 local time, a Air Tractor 402 registered N91660 was involved in an accident near Hughes, Arkansas, 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

20 May 2002 at 12:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Hughes, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

35.0661, -90.5822

Aircraft

Air Tractor 402

Registration

N91660

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hughes → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA158

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing factors were the malfunction of the tail wheel locking mechanism and the high vegetation along the sides of the airstrip.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While conducting an aerial application flight, the pilot noticed that three spray nozzles were leaking. Several crops in the area were susceptible to the chemical being dispensed, prompting the pilot to divert and execute a landing at an alternate airstrip to fix the nozzles. After touching down, the pilot stated the tail wheel did not lock properly, which resulted in the airplane kicking to the left and departing the airstrip. The airplane's left spray boom then became entangled in the adjoining wheat, and the airplane ground looped. The pilot reported having trouble with the tail wheel locking mechanism about a week before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.