Air Tractor AT-301 N7302C

Summary

On 14 March 2008 at about 23:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N7302C, operated by Lowry Incorporated, was involved in an accident near Columbus, Mississippi, 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

14 March 2008 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbus, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

33.4500, -88.5833

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N7302C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Lowry Incorporated

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA08CA078

1 person had minor injuries.

The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while maneuvering.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The responding FAA inspector stated that the accident flight was a test flight of a newly installed GPS system. The pilot told the inspector, that the airplane was in a steep bank to the right, maneuvering for another pass, when he encountered a slight buffet. He applied flaps and the buffet went away. As he continued in his steep bank turn to the right, he encountered another buffet that was more pronounced. He added additional flaps and the buffet went away. He encountered a gust of wind that started rolling him further to the right. He applied full left aileron and full left rudder pedal. He knew he was going to crash and was trying to slow the airplane down before the impact. The left wing impacted the ground first followed by the engine, separating. The airplane cart wheeled before coming to a stop upright. The FAA inspector stated that mechanical discrepancies were not reported nor discovered. The airplane owner felt the pilot turned tighter than normal, he observed the maneuver before the accident. The wind at the Golden Triangle Airport (GTR), Columbus, Mississippi, at the time of the accident were from 270 degrees at 4 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.