Air Tractor AT-301 N3659T
20 June 2003 · Covert, Michigan, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 June 2003 at about 13:40 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N3659T was involved in an accident near Covert, Michigan, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 13:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Covert, Michigan, United States
- Nearest airport
- South Haven Area Regional (0D1)
- Coordinates
- 42.3508, -86.2561
- Aircraft
- Air Tractor AT-301
- Registration
- N3659T
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- South Haven → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI03LA170
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to verify fuel quantity prior to the accident flight, and fuel exhaustion resulting in a loss of engine power. Contributing factors were the soft, rough, unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The terrain was soft and rough, causing the aircraft to nose over prior to coming to a rest. The aircraft was most recently fueled with 100 gallons and consumed approximately 35 gallons/hour during flight. The pilot estimated the total flight time since refueling as 2-1/2 to 3 hours, accumulated over two or three flights. A total of 4 gallons of fuel were recovered from the aircraft after the accident. Unusable fuel was listed at 6 gallons according to the Federal Aviation Administration Type Certificate Data Sheet. No evidence of fuel contamination was present. A post-accident examination of the aircraft and engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. The pilot stated that the "most probable cause [of the accident was a] lack of fuel."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Tractor AT-301 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Winnsboro, Louisiana, United States | Chuck Paris | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Rhinebeck, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Glendo, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Batchelor, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Aug 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Aplington, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Nov 2003 | Air Tractor AT-301 | San Angelo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2003 | Cessna 175 | Mears, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft 1900D | Muskegon, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 2003 | Cessna 140 | Edwardsburg, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-34-220T | Port Huron, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2003 | Cessna 172N | Romeo, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28-151 | South Haven, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |