Air Tractor AT-301 N4345S

Summary

On 4 August 2011 at about 15:00 local time, a Air Tractor AT-301 registered N4345S, operated by Kafer Stone Applicator Service Inc., was involved in an accident near Nekoosa, Wisconsin, 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

4 August 2011 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Nekoosa, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

44.3125, -89.9044

Aircraft

Air Tractor AT-301

Registration

N4345S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kafer Stone Applicator Service Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nekoosa → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11FA562

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during initial climb for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the engine backfired and lost power during the initial climb after takeoff. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings during the forced landing. An engine teardown examination revealed a separation of three gear teeth on an intermediate gear located in the accessory section. The gear teeth exhibited signatures of overload failure; no evidence of fatigue failure was observed. Accordingly, separation of the gear teeth likely occurred during the forced landing and not as a result of a preimpact failure. No failures or malfunctions consistent with a preimpact loss of engine power were observed. At the time of the accident, carburetor icing was not probable when the airplane was under takeoff power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.