Air Tractor AT-402 N4555Y

Summary

On 9 August 2008 at about 16:45 local time, a Air Tractor AT-402 registered N4555Y, operated by Summers Spraying Srevice, Inc., was involved in an accident near Dexter, New Mexico, 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

9 August 2008 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Dexter, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Richie Crockett Airstrip (NONE)

Coordinates

33.2667, -104.3869

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-402

Registration

N4555Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Summers Spraying Srevice, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dexter → Dexter

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08CA136

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said he was landing at the airstrip to refill the hopper with chemical. The airplane went off the side of the runway and ground looped. The left main landing gear was torn off, the left wing tip was scraped, and the left aileron was bent. The pilot reported no control malfunction or other anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. According the repair facility spokesman, there was no way of determining if the the landing gear had been bent previously or if there was a discrepancy with the toe-in.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.