Air Tractor AT-302 N8843S

Summary

On 13 September 2002 at about 17:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-302 registered N8843S, operated by M & J Flying Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Lacompte, Louisiana, 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.

Date

13 September 2002 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lacompte, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

31.0810, -92.3893

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-302

Registration

N8843S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

M & J Flying Service LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plaucheville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA258

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain available to the pilot for the forced landing, and low altitude maneuvering.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 10,150-hour pilot reported that "while making a spray run to the east, [he] pulled up at the end of the field over a tree line at about a 50 to 60 degree climb angle when the engine completely powered down or quit without any warning." The pilot further reported he estimated his altitude to be 60 to 80 feet above the ground when the engine lost power so he immediately banked the airplane to the right in an attempt to land in an adjacent small pasture. Ground scars and evaluation of the damage sustained by the airplane were consistent with the airplane impacting the ground in a shallow right turn at a high rate of descent. Fuel was found in fuel system and there was no post-impact fire. The operator reported that the loss of engine power may have been caused by "fuel cavitations;" however, the reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.