Air Tractor AT-602 N9145H

Summary

On 2 December 2010 at about 15:30 local time, a Air Tractor AT-602 registered N9145H, operated by Reynolds Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Gregory, Arkansas, 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

2 December 2010 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Gregory, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Private (NA)

Coordinates

35.1522, -91.2592

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-602

Registration

N9145H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Reynolds Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gregory → Gregory

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA098

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to detect water contaminated fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on his third aerial application flight for the day. Shortly after take-off, the engine lost power and the pilot elected to conduct a forced landing in a field. During touchdown, the airplane landed hard and received substantial damage. After the accident, the pilot reported that this was the first flight since refueling the airplane. The pilot also added that he did not check the fuel supply, prior to refueling the airplane. An examination of the airplane and refueling tanks, after the accident, revealed water was present in the fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.