Air Tractor AT-401 N1537R

Summary

On 14 January 2003 at about 20:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT-401 registered N1537R was involved in an accident near Alamo, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 January 2003 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Alamo, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Mid Valley Dusters (43TX)

Coordinates

26.1531, -98.1361

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-401

Registration

N1537R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Weslaco → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA084

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. Low altitude flight is a contributing factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an aerial application flight, while the aircraft was in the process of executing a turn to reverse direction, the airplane stalled and impacted the ground in a nose low attitude. The evidence found at the accident site where consistent with an airplane impacting the ground in a nose low attitude, at a relatively slow airspeed. The main wreckage came to rest in an open field in an upright position, approximately 75-feet from the initial point of impact. The radial engine was found separated from the airframe. The two-bladed propeller assembly remained attached to the engine crankshaft. Both fuel cells were compromised during the accident sequence. An FAA inspector arrived at the accident site within an hour after the mishap and reported no evidence of fuel or fuel smell at the accident site. The memory card from the SATLOC system installed in the aircraft was recovered by the FAA inspector for further evaluation. The memory card was analyzed and found not to have any information pertaining to the accident flight. Several attempts were made by the FAA inspector, as well as the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge to interview the 16,600-hour pilot after his release from the hospital after the accident. The pilot reported that he did not have any recollection of the accident or the circumstances prior to the mishap.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.