Air Tractor 301 N3161A

Summary

On 5 August 2008 at about 12:45 local time, a Air Tractor 301 registered N3161A was involved in an accident near Herreid, South Dakota, 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

5 August 2008 at 12:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Herreid, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Herreid Muni (5T4)

Coordinates

45.8542, -100.0753

Aircraft

Air Tractor 301

Registration

N3161A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Herreid → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08CA245

Nobody was injured.

Failure of one of the tailwheel bolts on landing and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot returned for landing in the tailwheel configured airplane after an agricultural application flight. He executed a normal landing on runway 12 (2,230 feet by 200 feet, asphalt/turf) and kept the tail up as long as possible as the airplane slowed. The pilot stated that when the tailwheel touched down it felt as if the tail was dragging on the ground and the airplane drifted to the right. He applied opposite rudder but was unable to stop the drift. He subsequently applied the brakes, which spun the airplane around and brought it to a stop partially off the runway. The pilot reported that after the accident he observed a bolt securing the tailwheel had failed. The bolt was discarded and was not available for further examination. The pilot commented that he will proactively inspect and replace the tailwheel bolts before each spray season.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.